Ridge Ambulance employee handprint scan $300K class action settlement

Ridge Ambulance agreed to pay over $300,000 to resolve claims it collected and used biometric information without getting employee consent.

The settlement benefits individuals whose hands were scanned by Ridge Ambulance in Illinois for timekeeping purposes between Dec. 7, 2015, and July 29, 2022. There are an estimated 323 people who fall under this class definition. 

Ridge Ambulance & EMS serves the western suburbs of Chicago by providing emergency and scheduled transportation to nursing facilities, care centers, hospitals and other medical locations. The company offers 24-hour service, with 50 vehicles and 160 employees.

However, according to a class action lawsuit, Ridge Ambulance violated its employees privacy rights by using handprint time clocks. 

These clocks allegedly scanned worker hands in order to clock them in and out of work. Plaintiffs in the case say that they were not given the proper disclosures and did not provide prior written consent as required by Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

BIPA aims to protect sensitive biometric data such as fingerprints, facial geometry scans, hand scans, retina scans and more. Unlike other identifiers, these biometrics cannot be changed if they are compromised. 

BIPA protects biometric information by requiring companies to get express consent before collecting, storing or sharing the data. The law also includes requirements for disclosures and retention.

Plaintiffs in the Ridge Ambulance class action lawsuit say their biometrics were collected and used without them first giving the consent required under BIPA. Employees also never received the required BIPA disclosures before having their biometrics collected, the class action lawsuit contends. Plaintiffs sought damages under BIPA for the alleged violations of their privacy rights.

Ridge Ambulance hasn’t admitted to any wrongdoing under BIPA or other laws but agreed to pay $306,850 to resolve these allegations.

Under the terms of the settlement, class members can collect an equal share of the net settlement fund after fees, costs and other deductions. 

Each class member is estimated to receive around $950. Exact payments will vary depending on the number of participating Class Members and any deductions from the fund. 

Any funds that remain unclaimed after distribution will be distributed to Ridge Ambulance.

The deadline for exclusion and objection is Sept. 27, 2022. 

The date for the final approval hearing is unavailable.

Class Members do not have to do anything to benefit from this settlement. Benefits will automatically be distributed to class members who do not exclude themselves.

Who’s Eligible

The settlement benefits individuals whose hands were scanned by Ridge Ambulance in Illinois for timekeeping purposes between Dec. 7, 2015, and July 29, 2022. There are an estimated 323 people who fall under this class definition.

Potential Award

Approximately $950

Proof of Purchase

Proof of purchase not applicable

Exclusion and Objection Deadline

09/27/2022

Case Name

Williams v. Ridge Ambulance Service Inc., Case No. 20L000589 in the Circuit Court of the Sixteenth Judicial Circuit, Kane County, Illinois

Final Hearing

Currently unavailable

Settlement Website

RABIPASettlement.com

Claims Administrator

Settlement Administrator
Williams v. Ridge Ambulance Service Inc.
c/o Simpluris, Inc.
P.O. Box 26170
Santa Ana, CA 92799
(888) 369-3780

Class Counsel

Michael L Fradin
LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL L FRADIN

Defense Counsel

Jamie L Filipovic
William J Gros
O’HAGAN MEYER LLC