When a Company Mishandles Your Personal Information

California gives residents more control over their personal information than nearly any other state. A company that reports on your background must report it accurately. A website that sends what you type, search, or click to an outside company must have your consent first. A business that records a call or meeting must have the consent of everyone taking part. Each of these duties is set out in a specific statute, and each carries its own remedy when a company fails to meet it.

If a company reported something false about you, shared your online activity without permission, or recorded your conversation without consent, your rights may have been violated.

Many of these claims carry statutory damages, which means compensation may be available without proving that you lost money. Righetti Law has handled these matters as individual claims and as class actions for more than thirty years.

The Laws That Protect You

Privacy claims in California are built on a set of specific statutes, each covering a different failure:

The California Invasion of Privacy Act, which allows $5,000 per violation when a call, chat, or online communication is recorded or intercepted without the consent of everyone involved
The Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, which allows $1,000 in nominal damages for an unauthorized release of medical information
The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, which requires background check and credit reporting companies to assure maximum possible accuracy
The California Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act and the Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act, which add state requirements for reports used in employment

Which statute applies, and what it is worth, depends on what information was involved, who received it, and how it was used. The pages below explain each in plain terms.

Our Privacy Practice Areas

Background Check and Credit Report Errors

If a background check or credit report contained information that was wrong, outdated, or belonged to someone else, and it cost you an opportunity, both federal and California law give you the right to dispute it and to sue.

Website Tracking and Wiretapping Claims

When a website sends what you type, search, or click to an advertising or analytics company without your consent, the California Invasion of Privacy Act may entitle you to $5,000 per violation without proof of financial loss.

Recorded Without Your Consent in California

California requires the consent of everyone in a confidential conversation before it is recorded. The rule applies to businesses, to employers, and to the AI systems that listen to and transcribe calls, chats, and meetings on their behalf.

Why These Cases Are Often Class Actions

Privacy violations rarely happen to one person. A screening company with careless matching procedures makes the same mistake on report after report. Tracking code on a website runs the same way for every visitor. A customer service line that records without a proper disclosure records every caller. That is why privacy claims are so often brought as class actions, and why the individual harm that feels too small to pursue alone can be worth pursuing together.

Righetti Law is among a small group of firms that have taken class actions all the way through trial. If you believe your information was mishandled, we will tell you honestly whether you have a claim.

Schedule Your Free Consultation

At Righetti Law in San Francisco, our attorneys represent consumers and employees in California state and federal courts and have decades of experience handling privacy, consumer protection, and class action matters. We have recovered millions for our clients in court and in settlement.

Your consultation will be confidential.

Call our firm at 415-983-0900 for a complimentary, confidential consultation. You may also complete our online contact form.

Privacy Litigation