McDonald’s settles employee biometric data privacy allegations for up to $50M

McDonald’s and franchisees will pay out up to $50 million to settle its biometric data privacy lawsuit involving employees of Illinois locations, Top Class Actions writes.

The settlement applies to employees of McDonald’s and McDonald’s franchises in the state, and was given preliminary approval in late-2021, according to the report. In addition to McDonald’s Corp and franchisees, McDonald’s USA and McDonald’s Restaurants of Illinois are plaintiffs in the case.

The suit alleges violations of Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) requirements to collect biometrics only with written, informed consent, though the defendants to not admit any wrongdoing under the terms of the settlement.

The settlement starts at $40 million, with two further reserves of $5 million each released if a certain percentage of the class submits claims. Employees from before December 31, 2018 can receive up to $375, and those whose employment began after that date can receive $190, though actual amounts will depend on the number of claimants.

The deadline to file a claim, opt out or object is February 9. 2022.

A similar BIPA suit involving employee biometrics was settled for $10 million by Walmart a year ago.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)  |  biometrics  |  data collection  |  data protection  |  lawsuits  |  legislation  |  McDonald’s  |  privacy  |  time and attendance