On December 21, 2016, Jonathan Rosario filed a proposed class action against Starbucks alleging that the company violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Mr. Rosario had interviewed for a barista position at Starbucks and had given the company permission to obtain a background check on him. The background check listed inaccurate criminal information that did not belong to Mr. Rosario and included a finding that Mr. Rosario was not eligible for employment with Starbucks. Mr. Rosario alleged this common practice violated his right to receive a pre-adverse action notice before Starbucks decided not to hire him.
In April 2019, Mr. Rosario’s case was transferred and consolidated with a similar case in the Northern District of Georgia. And in February 2020, the parties reached an agreement to settle with Starbucks on behalf of a nationwide class of approximately 8,000 Starbucks job candidates.
On July 15, 2020, the Northern District of Georgia granted final approval of a settlement that provides class members up to $8 million in benefits.