Supreme Court Considers US Liability for Flub on Credit Card Receipts
A Chicago lawyer who noted the federal government failed to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow his class action suit against the federal government.
Lawyer James Bormes contends the government has no sovereign immunity from suit, report the Associated Press and Reuters. He sued after noticing his receipt from a government website had the expiration date on his credit card, despite a law barring such disclosures because of the possibility of identity theft.
Bormes argues his suit is allowed under the FCRA or the Tucker Act, which allows money claims against the government.
In oral arguments on Tuesday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg summarized the consequences if Bormes prevails. “If you’re right about this, the consequences are enormous,” she told Bormes’ lawyer, John Jacobs.
The case is United States v. Bormes.
