EDWARDSVILLE — An employee of a footwear company filed a class action lawsuit alleging employees' biometric information was collected and transferred to third parties without the employees' knowledge or consent.
Keshia Tyson, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on Feb. 7 in the Madison County Circuit Court against Margolin Shoes Inc., alleging that the footwear company violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges the defendant unlawfully extracted biometric information from its employee's fingerprints and subsequently transferred the information to third parties without informing the employees in writing that their biometric information was collected and used.
As a result, Tyson alleges she suffered damages in the form of diminution in the unique identifying value of her biometric information and costs associated with identity protection and account monitoring.
The plaintiff seeks an order certifying the case as a class action and appointing Tyson and her counsel as representatives. She also seeks an award for actual, statutory and punitive damages, litigation cost and expenses and all other relief deemed just and equitable. She is represented by Lanny Darr of Darr Law Offices Ltd. in Alton.
Madison County Circuit Court case number 19-L-172