Thomson Reuters hit with lawsuit accusing it of violating state privacy statute
The Thomson Reuters America Corp. has been hit with a class action complaint accusing it of breaking Michigan privacy laws. (Photo from Shutterstock)
The Thomson Reuters America Corp. has been hit with a class action complaint accusing it of breaking Michigan privacy laws.
Courthouse News and Law.com reported Friday that a Michigan woman had filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan alleging that the company had displayed five sequential digits of users’ Social Security numbers on its CLEAR and Westlaw PeopleMap platforms in violation of state law.
According to the plaintiff, who is represented by Bursor & Fisher—a law firm in White Plains, New York—and the Miller Law Firm in Rochester, Minnesota, Michigan’s Social Security Number Privacy Act bans people from publicly displaying more than four sequential digits of users’ Social Security numbers.
Law.com stated that the plaintiff’s lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
“Thomson Reuters places a high priority on privacy and keeping personal data safe,” a company spokesperson told Law.com in a statement. “We strongly dispute the allegations and intend to robustly defend the case.”
Under Michigan law, plaintiffs can recover up to $1,000 for each violation of the statute. Tyler Bridegan, a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson in Houston, told Law.com that this was the first suit filed under the Michigan statute in a long time, and that this case could prove to be a bellwether for future challenges.
According to Law.com, this is not the first time that Thomson Reuters’ CLEAR platform has faced legal challenges. In February 2025, the company settled a privacy suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for $27.5 million.
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