AMC Theatre FACTA Class Action Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit accusing AMC Theatres of printing too many credit card digits on consumer receipts and potentially putting moviegoers at risk of identity theft has been upheld by the 9th Circuit Court.

The AMC class action lawsuit accuses the theatre of violating the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) by printing more than the last five digits of moviegoers’ credit or debit card numbers on its theatre receipts. The lawsuit is seeking damages of $100 to $1,000 for each violation, which could expose AMC to nearly $29 million to $290 million in losses.

A federal judge originally refused to certify the class action lawsuit on the grounds that AMC had “made a good-faith effort to comply with FACTA after this lawsuit was filed and the magnitude of AMC’s potential liability — $29 million to $290 million — was enormous and out of proportion to the harm suffered by the class.”

However, the federal judge’s decision was reversed by the 9th Circuit, which ruled the potential size of the award doesn’t matter when it comes to class certification under FACTA. The reversal has allowed the class action lawsuit against AMC to proceed.

The AMC class action lawsuit, originally filed in 2007, is brought on behalf of all individuals who, between December 4, 2006 and January 29, 2007, had used a credit or debit card to purchase a movie ticket from an automated box office at an AMC theatre and who received a receipt that included the first four and last four digits of the person’s credit/debit card number. More than 290,000 receipts had been printed in violation of FACTA during this period.

A copy of the 9th Court’s reversal on the AMC Theatre FACTA Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.