Who is a Class Member
The Checkr Background Check class action settlement includes “all natural persons upon whom Checkr produced a report which included records older than seven years, which included the following terms in the “charge type” field: “infraction,” “ordinance,” “violation,” “petty offense,” “traffic,” “citation,” and “civil,” from July 28, 2015 to March 20, 2018.”
There are 100,959 Class Members.
If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other class action settlements you may be eligible for.
Settlement Amount
- $4,460,000.00
Estimated Award
- $50
The exact amount of your payout will depend on the number of qualifying Claim Forms returned. Class Members Entitled to Autopay will receive a payment without submitting a Claim Form. It is estimated that Settlement Class Members will receive between $40 and $50 each.
Proof of Purchase
- N/A
Claim Form
Checkr Background Check Settlement Notes
- Gregory Howell v. Checkr, Inc.
- Case No. 3:17-cv-04305-SK
- Pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
Plaintiff Gregory Howell filed this class action lawsuit against Checkr alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act or FCRA. Checkr was founded in 2014 and provides background checks for large, global enterprises and startups, including Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Postmates, and GrubHub along with Adecco and Allstate.
According to the complaint, Checkr produces background reports on individuals containing non-conviction information older than seven years from the date of the report.
The FCRA sets strict standards for how employers and background check companies like Checkr obtain consent for and conduct background checks, and what they can do with the information they find. Specifically, under the FCRA, Checkr, and other background check companies, must provide you advance notice of any adverse action based in any part on the background check report, a copy of the report, and a summary of your rights under the FCRA.
The FCRA also limits negative information that a background check report can include. For instances, a background check report cannot list civil suits, judgments, arrest records, paid tax liens, accounts in collection or most other negative information (except criminal convictions) after 7 years, or bankruptcies after 10 years. It also cannot list expunged convictions.
Howell contends that he lost out on employment opportunities as result of Checkr’s alleged inaccurate background check practices. Checkr denies the claims and all liability. Additionally, Checkr maintains that the background reports it produces fully comply with the FCRA and that its reports did not harm anyone.
Complete details about the case and settlement are provided on the Checkr Background Check settlement website.
Class members who wish to object to or exclude themselves from the Checkr Background Check settlement must do so by October 24, 2018. There are approximately 56,620 Class members entitled to receive an automatic payment; if you are a member of this class you do not need to do anything to receive a payment. If you are not a Class member entitled to autopay you must submit a Claim Form on or before October 24, 208 to receive a payment.
Important Dates
- 10/24/18: Claim Form Deadline (for Class Members NOT entitled to Autopay only).
- 10/24/18: Objection or Exclusion Deadline
- 12/3/18: Final Hearing at 11:00 am PT* (class members do not need to attend this hearing in order to receive a slice of the settlement pie).
*Settlement Class Members who wish to speak at the hearing should check www.HowellSettlement.com to confirm that the date or time of the Hearing has not been changed.
Contact Information
- Mail: Howell v. Checkr, Inc., c/o JND Legal Administration, P.O. Box 91306, Seattle, WA 98111
- Phone: 1-833-747-6674
- Email: info@HowellSettlement.com
Class Counsel
- E. Michelle Drake of Berger & Montague PC
- Carolyn Cottrell of Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky Wotkyns LLP
Settlement Website