Bensen v. InfoPay, Inc.
Settled in principle · closed Sep 2022D. Mass. No. 1:21-cv-12061 · Ohio Rev. Code § 2741, 765 ILCS 1075 and Ind. Code § 32-36-1 · Filed December 16, 2021
- Defendants
InfoPay, Inc. and Intermedia Ventures, LLC, which the complaint said jointly own and operate the site
- Proposed classes
Ohio, Illinois and Indiana residents shown on a preview who'd never bought from the site, one class per state
The complaint said typing a first and last name into the site's free search brought up a preview showing that person's full name, current and past locations, age and the number of government records tied to them, beside an offer to subscribe. None of the three had agreed to their identities being used to sell subscriptions, it said.
The companies moved to dismiss on March 1, 2022. They argued the plaintiffs hadn't shown any real harm, that the complaint's own screenshots showed a first name and last initial rather than a full name, and that each state's law exempts public-records reports like theirs. The judge hadn't ruled when both sides reported on July 28 that they'd reached a settlement in principle for the three plaintiffs' claims, and the court paused the case the next day. The plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on September 22, 2022, and the case was marked closed on September 23.














