Yahoo Sued in Consumer Fraud Lawsuit

A California resident initiated a class action consumer fraud lawsuit against Yahoo Inc. claiming the internet company violated its service contract by disclosing the names of its email users to message recipients.

Albert Rudgayzer alleges that Yahoo adds the names of its users in the header of emails sent from the Yahoo address, which makes the name of the sender visible to recipients of the message, according to Law360 (subscription required). He claims by providing the user’s name, Yahoo is violating the personal data provision of its email user agreement, which pledges not to reveal “personal information about you with other people of nonaffiliated companies” without the consent of the account holder.

The consumer fraud lawsuit states that “Yahoo has intentionally concealed, during the registration process, the material fact that Yahoo discloses the first and last names of the senders of Yahoo emails.”

Rudgayzer states that Yahoo may have disclosed the names of more than five million people over the past four years. He seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages for the company’s alleged breach of contract.

If a company has violated your privacy rights, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact Sokolove Law to speak to a consumer fraud lawyer for a free legal consultation today.