Class Action Claims Meredith Corp. Sold Magazine Subscribers’ Info Without Consent

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

The publisher of People, Entertainment Weekly and other popular magazines faces a proposed class action over its alleged practice of selling Illinois subscribers’ information for commercial purposes without the individuals’ knowledge or consent to do so.

According to the lawsuit, defendant Meredith Corporation has offered for sale mailing lists that contain subscriber information—including names, addresses, magazine subscriptions and demographic details—to “any member of the public willing to pay for them,” including data aggregators, list brokers, marketing companies, political organizations and nonprofits. 

Per the case, Meredith’s Corp.’s conduct amounts to a violation of the Illinois Right of Publicity Act (IRPA), a state privacy law that prohibits the use of an individual’s identity for commercial purposes without their prior consent.

“The IRPA clearly prohibits what Meredith has done,” the complaint alleges.

According to the lawsuit, Meredith’s sale of magazine subscribers’ information has been confirmed by “[d]ocumented evidence,” including a mailing list titled “Meredith Database – Masterfile Mailing List” on the list broker NextMark, Inc.’s website. Per the suit, the list contained the names, addresses, magazine subscriptions and “myriad other personally identifying attributes and demographic information such as gender, age, and income” of Meredith’s nearly 15 million U.S. subscribers at a price of “$115.00/M [per thousand].”

The lawsuit alleges the sale of subscribers’ information without their knowledge or consent amounts to the unlawful use of their identities for a commercial purpose, which “directly violate[s]” the IRPA.

Meredith’s conduct is not only unlawful but dangerous, the suit attests, contending that “any member of the public willing to purchase this data” is able to target certain subscribers, including “vulnerable members of society.”

“So while Meredith profits handsomely from the use of its customers’ identities in this way, it does so at the expense of its customers’ statutory right of publicity,” the complaint alleges.

Meredith’s publications, the suit says, include Better Homes and Gardens, Living the Country Life, Entertainment Weekly, Food & Wine, Health, Midwest Living, People, Parents, Real Simple, Shape, Southern Living, Travel + Leisure, Wood, FamilyFun, Rachel Ray in Season, and InStyle.

The case looks to represent all Illinois residents who, at any time during the statutory period, had their names appear on a mailing list sold or offered for sale to the public by Meredith Corporation without their consent.

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s newsletter here.