Radisson has agreed to resolve claims of violating Illinois’ biometric privacy law through the use of fingerprint time clocks with a $465K settlement. This is going to benefit both former and current employees of Radisson who offered their fingerprints to clock in and out of work at Chicago’s Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel between 15th January 2016 and 13th May 2022.
Settlement Website: RadissonBluBiometricsSettlement.com
Objection Deadline: 07/12/2022
Exclusion Deadline: 07/12/2022
Claim Form: Not required
Deadline For Submitting Claim Form: Not applicable
Final Hearing Date: 08/23/2022
Settlement Amount: $465K
Potential Claim Amount: To be decided
Proof Of Purchase: Not applicable
The Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel is an award-winning hotel situated within a walking distance of various popular Chicago landmarks like the Magnificent Mile, Millenium Park, and Navy Pier. The hotel is equipped with premium services such as a fitness center, indoor pool, and electric car charging stations. However, the hotel employees have filed a lawsuit against the company regarding the violation of their privacy rights.
According to the class-action lawsuit, the hotel employees had to place their fingerprints on a time-keeping device to clock their time in and out of work. Radisson failed to acquire the consent of the employees as made mandatory by Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) despite regularly collecting and storing employee fingerprints.
As per the terms of BIPA, companies need to take written consent and also offer specific written disclosures before storing, collecting, or sharing sensitive biometric credentials like fingerprints. The law also standardizes the retention and destruction of this data to avoid all risks of stealing biometric data in the event of a data breach. Plaintiffs hold the view that Radisson could easily comply with the legal requirements but failed to do so and this failure can lead to significant damages for the class members. Though Radisson hasn’t admitted any wrongdoing, they have agreed to resolve the BIPA allegations with a $46500 settlement.
Class members are entitled to a cash payment under the terms of the settlement. Each member will be entitled to an equal share of the net settlement fund. However, the exact payment amount will depend on the number of individuals participating in the settlement. It is expected that the maximum payment for each class member will be $570 although the exact amounts might be more or less than that. Class members are not required to submit any claim form to benefit from the Radisson settlement. For requesting an electronic payment or updating their address, class members can refer to the settlement website.
