Friday saw the release of the Illinois Supreme Court's ruling in a case involving White Castle and
After asking the state's top court to certify whether BIPA claims accumulate with each biometric data scan or transmission
that is allegedly illegal or simply the first incident, the U.S. The Court of Appeals for the 7th District issued its ruling.
The decision of the Illinois Supreme Court was 4-3. Following the implementation of fingerprint-scanning for employee computer access,
the plaintiff in the proposed class action lawsuit claimed that White Castle had "unlawfully collected her biometric data and
unlawfully disclosed her data to its third-party vendor" without her consent for several years.
The Illinois Supreme Court's opinion on Friday was summarized as follows: "We conclude that the plain wording of section 15(b) and 15(d) reveals
that a claim accrues under the Act with every scan or transfer of biometric identifiers or biometric information without prior informed consent.
White Castle issued a statement to FOX Business expressing its "great disappointment" with the court's ruling and
the severe commercial disruption it will cause for Illinois firms, which now risk significant financial losses.