TaxSlayer class action alleges company unlawfully disclosed private tax return information

TaxSlayer tax return class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Adam Wright filed a class action lawsuit against TaxSlayer LLC. 
• Why: Wright claims TaxSlayer discloses the tax return information of its customers to unauthorized third-party advertising platforms without consent. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.

Tax preparation software company TaxSlayer disclosed the tax return information (TRI) of customers to unauthorized third party advertising platforms without having consent to do so, a new class action lawsuit alleges. 

Plaintiff Adam Wright claims an investigation by the American nonprofit news publication The Markup revealed TaxSlayer had been unlawfully using pixels to disclose confidential TRI to tech companies, including Meta and Google. 

Wright argues TaxSlayer was ultimately subjected to a congressional investigation regarding the “unlawful disclosure, dissemination, transmission, and/or release of customer TRI data to major tech companies.” 

“TaxSlayer has disclosed, disseminated, transmitted, and/or released to and helped third parties obtain Plaintiff’s and putative class members’ TRI,” the TaxSlayer class action states. 

Wright wants to represent a nationwide class and New York subclass of all persons who have used TaxSlayer’s tax preparation software to prepare and/or file a tax return since the company was found to begin sharing TRI with third parties, through Nov. 23, 2022. 

TaxSlayer uses Google Analytics, Meta Pixel to share tax return info with third parties, says class action

TaxSlayer uses Google Analytics and what is known as the Meta Pixel to unlawfully transmit the private TRI of its tax return customers to Meta and Google, the TaxSlayer class action alleges. 

“Upon information and belief, TaxSlayer unlawfully transmitted confidential TRI to third party companies, including Google and Meta, from the time Google Analytics and Meta Pixel were installed on TaxSlayer’s platforms through November 2022,” the TaxSlayer class action states.

Wright claims TaxSlayer is guilty of negligence and negligence per se, and of violating New York General Business Law along with several New York penal laws. 

The plaintiff is demanding a jury trial and requesting declaratory and injunctive relief along with an award of compensatory, consequential, general, nominal, statutory, trebled, and punitive or exemplary damages for himself and all class members. 

A similar class action lawsuit was filed against TaxAct earlier this month by a consumer arguing the company shared the private tax information of its customers with Google and Facebook without permission. 

Have you had tax return information disclosed to a third party without your consent? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Raymond C. Silverman, Jerrold S. Parker, and Melanie H. Muhlstock of Parker Waichman LLP. 

The TaxSlayer tax return class action lawsuit is Wright v. TaxSlayer LLC, Case No. 1:23-cv-05481, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

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• Google class action claims company wiretaps communications on major tax-filing websites
• TaxAct class action claims company shares sensitive information with Facebook, Google