CHICAGO — A former employee has filed a class action lawsuit against apparel company Grunt Style, claiming it violated its workers' privacy rights by making them scan their fingerprints when punching in and out of work shifts.
Christopher Dixon, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on Feb. 14 in Cook County Circuit Court against Grunt Style LLC for alleged violation of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
According to the complaint, Dixon began working for defendant in 2016 and claims he and other employees were required to have their hands scanned by a biometric timekeeping device. Plaintiff claims that unlike ID badges or time cards, which can be changed or replaced if stolen or compromised, his biometric features are unique, permanent identifiers and scanning them without authorization exposed workers to serious and irreversible privacy risks.
The plaintiff alleges Grunt Style failed to provide workers with information required under BIPA and illegally captured, collected, recorded, possessed, converted and stored their fingerprint scans, biometrics and property.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment for damages of $1,000-$5,000 per violation, injunctive relief, attorneys' fees, costs, and other relief. He is represented by Brandon Wise of Peiffer Wolf Carr & Kane APLC in St. Louis.
Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 19-CH-01981.