Real Estate Giants Face Legal Wrath in 118 Data Privacy Lawsuits

In a significant legal development, nearly a dozen major real estate firms find themselves entangled in 118 data privacy lawsuits filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey over the past 10 days.

118 Data Privacy Lawsuits: What is Happening?

The lawsuits, initiated by Atlas Data Privacy Corp., allege violations of a law prohibiting the disclosure of sensitive information, including home addresses and unpublished home phone numbers, about judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and their families.

The accused companies, commonly referred to as “data brokers,” include industry heavyweights such as CoStar, Zillow, RE/MAX, First American Financial, CoreLogic, Attom Data, Black Knight, Remine, PropertyRadar, Yardi, and NJ Property Records.

The lawsuits claim breaches of Daniel’s Law, named after the late Daniel Anderl, son of a federal judge. Daniel Anderl tragically lost his life in July 2020 when a gunman, fueled by personal and political grievances, targeted him. The assailant obtained the judge’s home address through online companies collecting personal data.

Daniel’s Law, present in both federal and state versions, aims to prevent the disclosure of private information about individuals covered by the law. The complaints, nearly identical, assert that Atlas represents approximately 19,469 individuals covered by Daniel’s Law.

According to the allegations, law enforcement personnel utilized the Atlas platform to notify the defendants about the unauthorized disclosure of their private information on various websites. The plaintiffs contend that the defendants failed to comply with these requests, prompting the legal action.

The complaints emphasize the importance of safeguarding the rights of those covered by Daniel’s Law, accusing the data brokerage companies of prioritizing profit over public interest and violating the law’s unequivocal mandate.

New Jersey Real Estate Market

The New Jersey Real Estate Market boasts a rich cultural heritage, being the birthplace of renowned artists like Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Frank Sinatra, and Whitney Houston. It is the most populated state in the U.S., surrounded by Philadelphia to the south, New York City to the north, and a stretch of Atlantic beaches in between.

The legal proceedings could result in courts awarding up to $1,000 in actual damages for each violation of Daniel’s Law, with the possibility of additional punitive damages if the violation is proven to be willful or reckless.

Beyond Atlas, the complaints include law enforcement officers and their families as plaintiffs, citing instances of threatening phone calls and text messages following the dissemination of their private information on data broker sites. Shockingly, one reported incident involves a criminal organization leader possessing images of a police officer’s home, and another details an attempted arson by the MS-13 gang in New Jersey.

While RE/MAX has declined to comment, other defendants have not responded to requests for statements on the ongoing legal proceedings. The lawsuits shed light on the contentious issue of data privacy and the potential consequences faced by those responsible for unauthorized information disclosure.

118 Data Privacy Lawsuits: What is Happening?

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