The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the “personal privacy” exemption from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act does not apply to corporations. The court held that corporations do not have “personal privacy.” FCC v. AT&T, Inc. (U.S. Supr. Ct.; March 1, 2011) 131 S.Ct. 1177, [179 L.Ed.2d 132].
No Showing Thief Ever Read Private Medical Information.
The chief security officer at UCLA’s school of medicine advised certain patients that an encrypted external hard drive containing some of their personally identifiable medical information, as well as the computer password, had been stolen in a home invasion robbery. A class action seeking damages pursuant to the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act [Civil Code section […]
Freedom Of Information Act Doesn’t Cover Everything.
Plaintiff is in the real estate business. After the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD] received complaints that plaintiff violated the law, plaintiff requested the names of the complainants under the Freedom of Information Act. HUD and the federal trial court invoked Exemption 6 of the Act, and redacted the names of the complainants […]
Use Of Likeness Of College Athletes Not Protected By First Amendment.
Football players Samuel Keller, Edward O’Bannon, Jr., Byron Bishop, Michael Anderson, Danny Wimprine, Ishmael Thrower, Craig Newsome, Damien Rhodes and Samuel Jacobson brought a class action against a video game company asserting the company violated their right of publicity under Civil Code section 3344 and California common law. The video company moved to strike plaintiffs’ […]
Run Out Of Baggies? Warrantless Search Of Marijuana Is The Result!
Police seized a package from a private shipping company after a shipping employee contacted the police department to report that the package smelled of marijuana and had been dropped off for shipment to an Illinois address. Without a warrant, police opened the box and found 444 grams of marijuana. The California Supreme Court held the defendant’s […]
Zip Codes At Gas Pumps.
Plaintiffs filed a class action for violation of the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971 [Civil Code section 1747.08], alleging Chevron violates the Act by sometimes requiring customers to provide their ZIP codes when buying gasoline with credit cards. The trial court granted summary judgment to Chevron and the appellate court affirmed, stating: “The undisputed facts […]
DMV Records Can’t Be Used To Solicit Clients.
The Driver’s Privacy Protection Act of 1994 [DPPA; 18 U.S.C. §§ 2721-2725] regulates the disclosure of personal information contained in the DMV records of state motor vehicle departments. An exception in the DPPA, 18 U.S.C. § 2721(b)(4), permits obtaining personal information for use “in connection with” judicial and administrative proceedings, including “investigation in anticipation of litigation” […]
Union Entitled To Home Addresses And Phone Numbers Of All Represented Employees, Including Those Who Have Not Joined Union.
A union claimed it was entitled to obtain the home addresses and phone numbers of all represented employees, including those who have not joined the union. The California Supreme Court agreed that the union does have the right to that information, stating: “Whether the right to privacy under Article I, Section 1 of the California Constitution prohibits disclosure […]