Manhattan Supreme Court approves the continued selling of tenant data

The State Supreme Court in Manhattan has dismissed the lawsuit against the New York court system regarding its process of selling tenant information to third parties, Thomson Reuters reports. The lawsuit, filed in October, claimed the court's practices were in violation of civilian constitutional rights, as the information sold was claimed as confidential. In addition, the suit claims the court system doesn't do enough to ensure the information sold isn't used illegally, which may prevent a tenant from finding a residence. The court system's aim of selling such data is to expose poor tenant records to better inform landlords and property investors - in essence, an added background screening. The Supreme Court ultimately agreed with that notion. John McConnell, Office of Court Administration lawyer, wrote the plaintiff's complaint was blown out of proportion and ungrounded. "Taken to their logical conclusion, OCA could be subject to a widespread bar on publishing virtually all electronic case data derived from otherwise open judicial proceedings, since parties can always claim that third persons, including prospective employers, insurers or any number of actors in the marketplace, could use court information in ways having a negative impact on parties involved in litigation,"
McConnell said.