Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken class action alleges restaurants violate employees’ biometric privacy

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Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut BIPA class action overview: 

• Who: An Illinois Kentucky Fried Chicken employee sued the owners of the restaurant, JRN, Inc.
• Why: Plaintiff D’Lisa Williams says the company used employees fingerprints without consent.
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court.

The company that operates Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in the Southeastern and Midwest regions of the United States uses its employees’ fingerprints without their consent, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

Plaintiff D’Lisa Williams filed the class action complaint against JRN, Inc. June 13 in an Illinois federal court, alleging violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

Williams says JRN used fingerprint-activated time clocks for employees to clock in and out of work. 

She and other employees were required to sign in and out using this fingerprint system despite the fact that at no time during her employment she had ever authorized the collection and storage of her fingerprints for company use, Williams says.

While using technology that relies on and captures biometric data helps to ensure honesty when clocking in and out of the business and helps save money for the corporation, when done incorrectly it “adversely affects the privacy rights of Plaintiff and alleged Class,” the Kentucky Fried Chicken class action lawsuit states.

“Improper collection and storage of biometric data can result in the biometric information being stolen and used against the employees,” it says.

Kentucky Fried Chicken class action claims JRN never advised employees of BIPA rights

JRN also never informed its employees of the specified purpose or length for which their fingerprints would be collected, stored and used, the lawsuit states.

“The only knowledge employees were given was the installation of the biometric fingerprint time clock that they were instructed to use,” the class action alleges. 

According to Williams, JRN used a biometric time clock for several years of her employment beginning around 2015 or 2016. 

At no point during the installation of the new timeclock system or throughout the remainder of Williams’ time with JRN did the company ever provide the required disclosures to her, she alleges.

Williams looks to represent anyone in Illinois who had their fingerprints collected, captured, stored or otherwise used by JRN, Inc. She seeks certification of the class action, damages of $5,000 for each intentional violation of the law, an injunction, fees, costs and a jury trial. 

Meanwhile, in 2021, consumers accused Walmart of putting its employees’ privacy at risk by requiring them to clock in and out of work using a fingerprint scanner, according to a class action lawsuit.

What do you think of the allegations in this case? Let us know in the comments!

Williams is represented by Steven Woodrow and Patrick H. Peluso of Woodrow & Peluso, LLC.

The JRN BIPA class action lawsuit is D’Lisa Williams v. JRN, Inc., Case No. 3:22-cv-01253, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. 

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