Lawsuit: Gurstel Law Firm Published Credit Report Without Consumer’s Authorization

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A proposed class action alleges that Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. violated the privacy of a Wisconsin consumer by publishing the woman’s credit report in a public court document without her permission.

According to the case, non-party Discover Bank offered to include the plaintiff’s credit score in her monthly billing statements for her Discover credit card. The woman claims she accepted the offer based on the bank’s representation that the credit scores “were intended only for her own personal use and would not be shared with any third party or used for some other purpose.”

In April 2017, the suit continues, the defendant filed a complaint in state court against the plaintiff on behalf of Discover Bank that included copies of her billing statements. The woman’s credit scores, which the lawsuit says constitute part of her private consumer report, were not redacted from the public document. The case argues that this information was not “required, necessary, [or] essential” in obtaining a judgment against the woman and was only published as a result of the defendant’s “reckless supervision.” From the complaint:

“Defendant Law Firm, through acts or omissions, breached their duty by negligently and/or recklessly failing to adequately supervise associates or junior attorneys by failing to take reasonable steps to protect the rights of consumers’ privacy as proscribed in the federal law.”