Tag Archives: background check

November 12, 2015

Are Your Background Check Disclosure Forms FCRA-Compliant?

Wiletsky_MBy Mark Wiletsky

A rash of class action lawsuits is forcing employers to defend their background check disclosure and authorization forms. The current focus is on disclosure forms that include extraneous information. Here’s what you need to know to lessen your risk of a similar class action lawsuit.

FCRA Disclosure Requirement

If you obtain background check reports from a third party, such as a consumer reporting agency that provides employment-related screening services, you need to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA, among other things, requires that employers disclose to applicants/employees that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes before requesting the report. Specifically, an employer or prospective employer must provide “a clear and conspicuous disclosure” in writing to the individual on whom the report is to be conducted and that disclosure must be “in a document that consists solely of the disclosure.”

It is this stand-alone disclosure requirement that is now the subject of many class action lawsuits. Applicants (and their class-action counsel) scrutinize the background check disclosure forms used by employers and if there is any extraneous information included on the form, they file a lawsuit alleging that the employer violated the FCRA by failing to provide a stand-alone disclosure. The applicants can allege a statutory FCRA violation without suffering any actual damages, seeking recovery of between $100 and $1,000 for each member of the class of applicants who were provided the same form. They also seek punitive damages for willful violations of the FCRA.

Extraneous Information on FCRA Forms

The text of the FCRA does not define what it means to be a “document that consists solely of the [required] disclosure.” It does, however, state that the required written authorization from the applicant/employee may be included with the disclosure. Consequently, employers may combine the FCRA disclosure with the authorization/consent requirement, but any other information on the form may jeopardize compliance.

As these cases proceed through the courts, judges have found certain types of additional information on the FCRA disclosure form to be problematic, including:

  • Imbedding the FCRA disclosure within a job application
  • Release of liability, e.g., “I hereby release [employer] and any of its authorized agents from liability”
  • Acknowledgement of no discrimination, e.g., “I fully understand that all employment decisions are based on legitimate non-discriminatory reasons”
  • Ramifications of falsified information, e.g., “I understand that submission of false information on this or any employment forms may result in non-selection or termination if hired”
  • State-specific notices, e.g., notices specific to California or New York applicants, etc.
  • Statements about how background information will be gathered and from which sources
  • Procedures for how to dispute information on the reports, including time frames for challenging the accuracy of any report
  • Name, address and contact information of the consumer reporting agency

In most cases, the courts have refused to dismiss these lawsuits at an early stage, allowing the class representatives to proceed with their allegations of FCRA violations based on these types of extraneous information in disclosure forms. It is unclear whether a judge or jury will ultimately conclude that an FCRA violation exists in these cases, but the affected employers face significant risk of liability as well as the time, expense and public notoriety related to defending these actions in court.

Don’t Rely On Your Screener 

If you think you are out of danger because you rely on FCRA forms provided by your background screening company, think again. Consider the recent class action filed against Big Lots in Philadelphia. The national chain of retail stores used a “Consent to Request Consumer Report & Investigative Consumer Report Information” form provided by its background check provider, Sterling Infosystems, that did not contain the required disclosure language. Instead, the form included allegedly extraneous information, including an implied liability waiver, a full page of state-specific notices, and information about how background information will be gathered and how disputed information may be challenged.

The class action seeks to hold Big Lots liable for its alleged violation of its FCRA disclosure obligations, and it will be up to Big Lots to try to hold Sterling Infosystems liable for providing non-compliant forms. However, because many background screening providers limit their liability in their service contracts, sometimes to only two or three months’ worth of screening costs, you may be left without much recourse.

Review Your FCRA Forms

Take the time to review your background check disclosure and authorization forms now. Make sure your FCRA disclosure and authorization is not imbedded or buried in your employment application. If your disclosure forms include extraneous statements, such as liability waivers, state-specific disclosures, or other background check procedures, your forms may not meet the FCRA requirement to be a stand-alone disclosure. Consider removing the extra wording from the FCRA disclosure forms and move them to a different, non-FCRA-related document. These sorts of class actions can be easy pickings, so taking action now will go a long way toward avoiding being hauled into court.

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June 17, 2013

New Nevada Law Restricts Use of Credit Checks for Employment Purposes

By Anthony Hall and Dora Lane 

Nevada recently joined the ever-growing list of states that restrict the use of credit reports by employers.  Effective October 1, 2013, Senate Bill 127 will, with limited exceptions, prohibit Nevada employers from making an adverse employment decision based on credit information and from requesting or requiring any prospective or current employee to submit a consumer credit report as a condition of employment.   

Use of Credit Reports as an Unfair Employment Practice 

By amending the Employment Practices chapter of the Nevada Revised Statutes, Senate Bill 127 makes it unlawful for any Nevada employer to: 

1)  Directly or indirectly require, request, suggest or cause any employee or prospective employee to submit a consumer credit report or other credit information as a condition of employment; 

2)  Use, accept, refer to or inquire about a consumer credit report or other credit information; 

3)  Discipline, discharge, discriminate against or deny employment or promotion, or threaten to take such action, against any prospective or current employee on the basis of the results of a credit report or for refusing or failing to provide a credit report; or 

4)  Discipline, discharge, discriminate against or deny employment or promotion or threaten to take such action against any prospective or current employee for filing a complaint or instituting (or causing to be instituted) a legal proceeding under this law, testifying in any legal proceeding (actually or potentially) to enforce the provisions of this law, or exercising (individually or on behalf of another) rights afforded under this statute. 

Exceptions Allowing the Use of Credit Information 

Under this new law, employers are permitted to request or consider consumer credit reports or other credit information for the purpose of evaluating an employee or prospective employee for employment, promotion, reassignment or retention under the following circumstances: 

  • When required or authorized by state or federal law;
  • Upon reasonable belief that the individual has engaged in specific activity which may constitute a violation of state or federal law; or
  • When information in the credit report is reasonably related to the position for which the employee or prospective employee is being considered (including retention as an employee). 

For most employers seeking to use credit reports to evaluate employees and applicants, it is this last exception that typically comes into play.  Importantly, the new law defines what shall be deemed “reasonably related” to include positions where the duties involve one or more of the following non-exclusive categories:

Care, custody and handling of, or responsibility for, money, financial accounts, corporate credit or debit cards or other assets;

  • Access to trade secrets or other proprietary or confidential information;
  • Managerial or supervisory responsibility;
  • The direct exercise of law enforcement authority as a state or local law enforcement agency employee;
  • The care, custody and handling of, or responsibility for, the personal information of another person;
  • Access to the personal financial information of another person;
  • Employment with a financial institution chartered under state or federal law (including subsidiaries or affiliates of such financial institutions); or
  • Employment with a licensed gaming establishment.

Public and Private Enforcement of Credit Report Law 

This new law provides for two types of enforcement mechanisms with a three year statute of limitations.  First, an individual harmed by a violation of this statute may file a private lawsuit against the allegedly offending employer.  The lawsuit may be filed on behalf of the individual employee or prospective employee, or on behalf of other similarly situated employees or prospective employees.  Courts may grant successful plaintiffs various remedies including employment, reinstatement or promotion to the position applied for, lost wages and benefits, attorney’s fees and costs and any other equitable relief deemed appropriate (without the issuance of a bond). 

Second, the Nevada Labor Commissioner may impose an administrative penalty against an employer of up to $9,000 for each violation of the law or may bring a civil lawsuit against the employer to obtain equitable relief as may be appropriate, such as employment, reinstatement or promotion of the employee and the payment of lost wages and benefits.   

Complying with Credit Restriction Laws in Ten States 

In enacting this new law, Nevada became the tenth state to restrict the use of credit reports for employment purposes, joining California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.  Additional states are considering similar legislation.  Further, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has targeted employers for the use of credit reports as potentially causing disparate impact on certain protected groups.  Complying with these laws can be challenging, especially for multi-state employers. 

Prior to the October 1, 2013 effective date of Nevada’s new law, employers who use credit reports or credit information in their hiring or evaluation process need to review their screening policies.  Specifically, employers hiring individuals in Nevada need to evaluate each position for which they want to use credit reports and determine if the position falls under one of the enumerated exceptions in Senate Bill 127 that allows the use of credit information on applicants and/or current employees.  If the duties of the position do not fall within the list of exceptions, employers should evaluate whether the credit report “is reasonably related to the position.”  If the answer to both of these questions is “no,” then the employer should not request or use credit reports or other information from a consumer reporting agency when evaluating candidates for that position.  Employers with operations or hiring needs in multiple states need to stay abreast of the latest legal requirements to ensure that their credit screening policies comply with each applicable state restriction. This may mean implementing a different credit screening policy in those states where the use of credit reports is restricted by law.


Disclaimer: This article is designed to provide general information on pertinent legal topics. The statements made are provided for educational purposes only. They do not constitute legal advice and are not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between you and Holland & Hart LLP. If you have specific questions as to the application of the law to your activities, you should seek the advice of your legal counsel.


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