GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Legal Newsline) - The publisher of the Nutrition Action healthletter faces a class action lawsuit that says it unlawfully sold its subscribers' information to advertisers and political organizations.
Duane Henderson sued Center for Science in the Public Interest on Set. 16 in Michigan federal court, alleging violation of the state's Preservation of Personal Privacy Act. Henderson alleges "a barrage of unwanted junk mail."
A list broker called NextMark offers access to the mailing list "Nutrition Action Healthletter Wiland Direct Modeling MF Mailing List," which contains information on nearly 300,000 subscribers, the suit says.
"As a result of CSPI’s practices of disclosing Plaintiff’s Private Reading Information during the relevant pre-July 31, 2016 time period, Plaintiff saw a dramatic uptick of junk mail in his mailbox following his purchase of a subscription to Nutrition Action over the same time period," the suit says.
"By renting, exchanging, or otherwise disclosing the Private Reading Information of all of its Michigan-based subscribers during the relevant pre-July 31, 2016 time period, CSPI violated the PPPA."
Several firms are pursuing the case: The Miller Law Firm of Michigan; Bursor & Fisher in New York; and Hedin Hall of Miami.