Mary Smigielski Quoted by Bloomberg Law on WeWork Biometric Privacy Suit

November 11, 2019

Chicago Partner Mary Smigielski was recently quoted by Bloomberg Law in regards to a recent class action lawsuit brought against the commercial real estate company WeWork for violations of Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA).

Chicago, Ill. (November 11, 2019) - Chicago Partner Mary Smigielski was recently quoted by Bloomberg Law in regards to a recent class action lawsuit brought against the commercial real estate company WeWork for violations of Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The suit alleges that WeWork uses facial scans to track people using its shared office spaces, but does so without informed written consent, which is a violation of BIPA. The article, "WeWork Hit With Biometric Privacy Suit Over Facial Scans," reviewed the allegations in the case and the history of BIPA litigation.

As co-chair of Lewis Brisbois' Illinois BIPA Practice, Ms. Smigielski is at the forefront of BIPA litigation, having established the new practice shortly after the Illinois Supreme Court decision earlier this year in the landmark case Rosenbach v. Six Flags Entertainment Corp., which drastically reduced the threshold required for individuals to seek redress under BIPA.

Rosenbach has made it much easier to get it past initial challenges,” Ms. Smigielski told Bloomberg Law. She also noted how that decision has increased the number of BIPA class actions filed. Through a spokesperson, WeWork has denied using facial recognition to monitor people at its locations.

Read the full article here.