What is this lawsuit and Settlement about?

The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”) prohibits private companies from capturing, obtaining, storing, transferring, and/or using the biometric identifiers such as handprints, of another individual for any purpose, including timekeeping, without first providing such individual with certain written disclosures and obtaining written consent. This lawsuit alleges that Unytite violated the BIPA by requiring individuals to submit their handprints for employment timekeeping purposes between January 19, 2016 and January 14, 2022 without first providing the required disclosures or obtaining the individual’s consent. Unytite contests these claims and denies that it violated BIPA. The Court has made no determination with respect to any of the parties’ claims or defenses.

What does the Settlement provide?

Defendants have agreed to create a $291,375.00 Settlement Fund for the Class Members. If the Settlement is approved, each Settlement Class Member who does not timely exclude themselves will be entitled to an equal payment out of the Settlement Fund. The exact amount of each Class Member’s payment is unknown at this time; it may be as much as $520.00 or more, but it may be less depending on several factors, including the costs of the other expenses to be paid from the Settlement Fund. The Settlement Administrator will issue a check to each Class Member who does not exclude himself or herself following the final approval of the Settlement. All checks issued to Settlement Class Members will expire and become void 90 days after they are issued. Additionally, the attorneys who brought this lawsuit will ask the Court to award them attorneys’ fees of up to thirty-five percent of the Settlement Fund, plus reasonable costs, for the substantial time, expense and effort expended in investigating the facts, litigating the case and negotiating the Settlement. The Class Representative also will apply to the Court for a service award of up to $5,000.00 for his time, effort, and service in this matter.

Who is included?

You are a member of the Settlement Class if, at any time between January 19, 2016 and January 14, 2022, you were required to provide your biometric information for timekeeping purposes to Unytite within the state of Illinois without first signing a consent form. If you provided your biometric information for timekeeping purposes to Unytite at any time during this time period without first signing a consent form, then you may be entitled to cash benefits.

Class Members' legal rights are affected whether they act or don't act. Read the Settlement Notice carefully.

Read the Notice carefully to see what your rights and options are in connection with the Settlement.  These deadlines may be moved, canceled, or otherwise modified, so please check this site regularly for updates.