Class Action Says Thomson Reuters’ CLEAR, PeopleMap Illegally Publish Private Info of West Virginia Public Officials

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Thomson Reuters America Corporation faces a proposed class action lawsuit that claims its public records database platforms, Thomson Reuters CLEAR and Westlaw PeopleMap, illegally disclose personal information about West Virginia public officials.

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The 17-page privacy lawsuit accuses Thomson Reuters of violating a West Virginia statute enacted less than a year after a gunman found U.S. District Judge Esther Salas’ address online and fatally shot her son, Daniel Anderl, at their family home in New Jersey on July 19, 2020.

Modeled after New Jersey’s Daniel’s Law, the West Virginia bill prohibits any entity from disclosing the home address or unpublished home or personal telephone number of any active, formerly active or retired judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public defender or law enforcement officer without first obtaining their written consent, the complaint relays.

According to the class action lawsuit, Thomson Reuters’ platforms have illegally exposed the private phone numbers and addresses of thousands of West Virginia public officials. The plaintiff, a retired law enforcement officer in West Virginia, claims the defendant never requested written permission to publish his private information on CLEAR and PeopleMap.

The suit stresses that Thomson Reuters’ allegedly unlawful conduct has placed the plaintiff and similarly situated individuals at risk of harassment and harm. Per the case, these publicly available details can and have been used for nefarious purposes by criminals, disputants, offenders or other people who have interacted with public servants in the course of their duties.

For example, Daniel Anderl was shot by a “self-described anti-feminist” lawyer who had a case before Judge Salas, the complaint says.

The Thomson Reuters lawsuit looks to represent anyone with a West Virginia address who is an active, formerly active or retired judicial officer, prosecutor, federal or state public defender, federal or state assistant public defender, law enforcement officer or anyone else residing at such person’s home address, whose home address and/or unpublished home or personal telephone number was disclosed, redisclosed or otherwise made available by the defendant.

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