You are included in the Policy Settlement Class if TURSS reported or reports a Criminal Record and/or Landlord-Tenant Record about you to a third party at any point between November 7, 2016 and the Injunctive Relief Termination Date, which will be two years after the policy changes required by the settlement are implemented.

A Court authorized the notice to inform you about the proposed Settlement and your rights. Before any final judgment is entered, the Court will have a hearing to decide whether to approve the Settlement. The notice is only a summary of the proposed Settlement. More details about the proposed Settlement, the date when appeals are no longer allowed and the Settlement is final, deadlines for certain actions, and your options are available in a longer document called the Settlement Agreement. 

The lawsuit is known as In re: TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc. FCRA Litigation, No. 1:20-md-02933-JPB. Judge J.P. Boulee of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is overseeing the case. The people who sued are called “Plaintiffs;” the company that they sued, TransUnion Rental Screening Solutions, Inc. or TURSS, is called the “Defendant."

The lawsuit claims that TURSS failed to maintain reasonable procedures to ensure maximum possible accuracy in its reporting of certain Criminal and/or Landlord-Tenant Records. Plaintiffs claim that Defendant's alleged practices violated the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"). TURSS denies it did anything wrong. 

The Court did not decide whether either side was right or wrong. Instead, both sides agreed to the Settlement to resolve the case and provide benefits to Class Members.

Class actions try to bring similar claims in one case and in one court. In a class action, the plaintiffs who bring the case are called “Class Representatives” or “Named Plaintiffs.” They have their names listed in the title of the case. They sue on behalf of themselves and people who have similar claims — called the Class or Class Members — which in this case may include you. The Class Representatives filed this case as a proposed class action. When the parties reached the proposed Settlement, the Court had not decided whether the case could be a class action.

The Court has not decided which side is right or wrong in this case. Instead, both sides agreed to a Settlement to avoid the costs and risks of a lengthy trial and appeals process.

To settle the matter, the Plaintiffs and Defendant participated in a process called mediation. This is a formal way parties get together to see if they can resolve disputes with the help of a Court-approved professional, called a mediator. An experienced mediator conducted lengthy sessions with the parties in this matter. The Class Representatives and the lawyers representing the Class think the proposed Settlement is best for all Class Members.

You are included in the Policy Settlement Class if TURSS reported or reports a Criminal Record and/or Landlord-Tenant Record about you to a third party at any point between November 7, 2016 and the Injunctive Relief Termination Date, which will be two years after the policy changes required by the settlement are implemented.

If you are still not sure whether you are included in the Policy Settlement Class, you can call toll-free 1-877-917-0081, or email info@RentalScreeningSettlement.com.

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. The Policy Settlement provides injunctive relief benefits to all Policy Settlement Class Members. An injunction occurs when a court orders a person or company to do or not to do something. In this case, the Court ordered TURSS to change its business practices. The Settlement requires TURSS, at its expense, to design, implement, and maintain specific and substantial procedures that address the lawsuit’s concerns about TURSS’s reporting of criminal and landlord-tenant records. 

Changes to TURSS’s business practices will include:

• implementing matching procedures whereby Criminal Records will not be attributed to any consumer in a Consumer Report unless TURSS matches the following identifying information of the applicant received by TURSS from the applicant and/or its customer at the time of the matching to the following identifying information contained within the public Criminal Record maintained by TURSS at the time of the matching: (i) a qualifying match on name; plus (ii) a qualifying match on date of birth, address or Social Security Number;
• implementing changes in the formatting of its reporting of Landlord-Tenant Records in a Consumer Report to group records relating to a single legal proceeding between a landlord and tenant
• implementing changes to reasonably ensure that TURSS does not report Landlord-Tenant Records from sources that are visited less frequently than every sixty days 
   

Judge Boulee will supervise and enforce these changes. The specific terms of these changes are included in the Settlement Agreement.

TURSS also agreed to pay Plaintiffs’ lawyers for their attorneys’ fees and costs and settlement administration costs.

Class Members do not have to pay or buy anything to benefit from the changes in business practices provided by the Settlement Agreement.

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. Even though the Court approved the proposed Settlement, there could be appeals to the Court’s decision. The time for an appeal varies and could take more than a year. Please be patient.

The date when all appeals are completed, and the proposed Settlement becomes final, is called the Effective Date. You can visit the Settlement website to check on the progress of the Court-approval process.

The change in business practices will remain in effect for two (2) years from the Effective Date. During that time, the Court will continue to oversee the policy change and enforce the Settlement Agreement terms.
 

If the Court approves the proposed Settlement, you will give up your right to sue TURSS in a class action for claims relating in any way to: 

1) TURSS’s alleged failure to report up to date Landlord-Tenant Records; or 
2) TURSS’s reporting of multiple Landlord-Tenant Report items that pertain to a single landlord-tenant court proceeding; or
3) TURSS’s alleged mis-attribution of a Criminal Record to a person to whom it did not belong. 

This is called “releasing” your claims. You will keep your right to file an individual lawsuit for damages. TURSS will have the right to deny it is responsible for damages.

More details are explained in the Settlement Agreement.

You may not opt-out of the Policy Settlement. The Court’s decisions in this case will apply to you even if you object to the Settlement or have any other claim, lawsuit, or proceeding pending against TURSS relating to the same claims. If you have any questions about the release, visit the Settlement website for more information or consult with a lawyer. (See FAQ 11).

No. As explained in FAQ 7, the proposed Settlement requires TURSS to change its business practices and implement procedures to benefit all Class Members equally. This type of benefit is injunctive. Therefore, under this type of class action, you cannot exclude yourself from the Class or this proposed Settlement.

However, as explained in FAQ 9, you still have the right to file an individual lawsuit against TURSS for your damages and have your case and TURSS’s defenses heard in court.

Yes. The Court approved the following firms as “Class Counsel” to represent you and other Class Members:

• Berger Montague PC,
• Khayat Law Firm,
• Consumer Litigation Associates, P.C.,
• Kelly Guzzo PLC,
• Francis Mailman Soumilas P.C., and
• Blake Andrews Law Firm. 

You will not be charged for these lawyers. You may hire your own attorney, if you so choose, but you will be responsible for paying your attorney’s fees and expenses. You can contact Class Counsel at 1-844-800-0174 and RentalScreeningSettlementCounsel@bm.net.

You will not be charged for Class Counsel. You will not have to pay any of their fees and expenses. Class Counsel will ask the Court to approve attorneys’ fees in an amount not exceeding $3,833,333.00, plus out of pocket expenses, for the time and effort they have spent on this case.

The deadline to object to the Settlement passed on June 30, 2023.

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

At the hearing, the Court considered whether the Settlement was fair, reasonable, and adequate. If there were objections, the Court considered them and listened to people who have asked to speak at the hearing. The Court also decided how much to award Class Counsel. After the hearing, the Court decided whether to finally approve the proposed Settlement. There may be appeals after that. We do not know how long these decisions will take.

Please check the Settlement website for updates on the Court-approval process, and the Effective Date.

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

The Court held a Final Approval hearing on September 21, 2023, and granted Final Approval of the Settlement. 

As a member of the Policy Settlement, you are not required to do anything to get the Settlement benefits. If the Court approves the proposed Settlement, then you will be bound by the Court’s final judgment and the released claims as explained in the Settlement Agreement.

More details about the proposed Settlement, the date when appeals are no longer allowed and when the Settlement is final, deadlines for certain actions, and your options are available in a longer document called the Settlement Agreement. In addition, key documents in the case will be posted on the website.

You also may write with questions to the Settlement Administrator at TransUnion Rental Screening Settlement, c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91335, Seattle, WA 98111, email info@RentalScreeningSettlement.com, or call the toll-free number, 1-877-917-0081.