A Danville-based subsidiary of German manufacturing conglomerate Thyssenkrupp has been hit with a class action lawsuit, accusing it of violating an Illinois biometrics privacy law for the way in which it requires workers to scan fingerprints when punching in and out of work shifts.
In December, attorneys Alex J. Dravillas and Aaron M. Zigler, of the firm of Keller Lenkner LLC, of Chicago, filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against Thyssenkrupp Crankshaft Company LLC. The putative class action complaint was filed on behalf of named plaintiff Stephanie Rice, identified as a resident of downstate Vermillion County.
The complaint accuses Thyssenkrupp Crankshaft of violating the Illinois Biometrics Information Privacy Act.
According to the complaint, Thyssenkrupp required workers at its Danville factory, including Rice, to scan their fingerprints on the company’s so-called biometric punch clocks. However, the complaint asserts, the company did not provide notices to workers concerning how their fingerprint data would be stored, shared, used and ultimately destroyed. Nor did the company obtain written authorization from the workers before requiring the fingerprint scans, the complaint said.
The complaint seeks to expand the action include all Thyssenkrupp Crankshaft workers in Illinois who were required to scan fingerprints.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages of $1,000-$5,000 per violation under the BIPA law, plus attorney fees and other damages.
Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2019-CH-14117