Target Credit Card Zip Code Class Action Lawsuit

A class action lawsuit filed in California claims national retailer Target illegally asks for and collects customers’ zip codes when processing credit card transactions. The class action lawsuit says asking for this personal information violates California’s Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971, which is intended to promote privacy and prevent the misuse of consumers’ personal data.

According to the Target class action lawsuit, Target has a policy of requesting and recording customers’ zip codes when credit cards are used to make purchases. Target allegedly requires customers to provide this information as a condition of accepting credit card transactions.

Under the Song-Beverly Act, companies that accept credit cards for business transactions cannot ask cardholders for personally identifying information and make a record of that information. A recent Supreme Court decision in the case Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores, Inc. found that zip codes are considered personally identifying information. More than 150 lawsuits have been filed against various California retailers since the Pineda decision. (See our article “California Stores Face Big Lawsuits After ZIP Code Ruling” for more details.

The Target Song-Beverly class action lawsuit is brought on behalf of a proposed class of California consumers who have used credit cards at the retailer’s stores and were asked to provide their zip codes within the past year. It does not include consumers who were required to provide personally identifying information for the purpose of shipping, delivering, servicing or installing merchandise. The proposed class action lawsuit is seeking civil penalties for each class member in the amount of up to $1,000 for each violation of Song-Beverly.

The case is Green v. Target Corp., Case No. 1-11CV199677, California Superior Court, Santa Clara County.

Have you been asked to provide your ZIP code during a debit or credit card transaction at a California or Massachusetts store? You may be eligible to participate in a class action lawsuit and pursue compensation. See if you qualify for free at the Merchant ZIP Code Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.

All class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Lawsuit News section of Top Class Actions