Deyerler v. HireVue Inc.

CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedFebruary 26, 2024
Docket1:22-cv-01284
StatusUnknown

This text of Deyerler v. HireVue Inc. (Deyerler v. HireVue Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Deyerler v. HireVue Inc., (N.D. Ill. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION

KRISTEN DEYERLER, et al., Plaintiffs No. 22 CV 1284 v. Judge Jeremy C. Daniel HIREVUE, INC., Defendant

MEMORANDUM ORDER Six Illinois residents1 filed this putative class action alleging that HireVue, Inc. (“HireVue”), a Utah-based software vendor, violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), 740 ILCS 14/1, et seq., when its interactive software captured and collected their biometric information during virtual job interviews. HireVue now moves to dismiss the plaintiffs’ first amended complaint under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) and 12(b)(6). (R. 48.) For the reasons set forth in this opinion, the motion is granted in part and denied in part. BACKGROUND HireVue is a Delaware corporation based in Utah that develops and markets software to assess job applicants’ performance during virtual interviews. (FAC ¶¶ 16, 19.) HireVue sells its software to employers—including companies headquartered in Illinois—who are looking to fill job openings. (Id. ¶ 20.) HireVue’s software allows customers to record video interviews with potential candidates and

1 The plaintiffs’ full names are Kristen Deyerler, Max Ellithorpe, Bryen Zimmerman, Christopher Coats, Nicolas Galindo, and William Phemister. (See generally R. 17 (“FAC”).) analyze their performance with artificial intelligence. (Id. ¶ 19.) Each recorded interview yields “thousands of data points” that are used to assess candidates’ cognitive ability, personality traits, emotional intelligence, and social aptitude. (Id.

¶ 21.) The plaintiffs are six Illinois residents who allege that HireVue captured and collected their biometric identifiers when they used HireVue’s platform to interview for positions in Illinois. (See generally id.) They filed this putative class action alleging that HireVue’s actions violate subsections 15(a), (b), (c), and (d) of the BIPA. (See FAC.) HireVue now moves to dismiss the first amended complaint in its entirety

under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(2) and 12(b)(6). (R. 48.) LEGAL STANDARD

A motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(2) tests whether a federal court has personal jurisdiction over a defendant. Curry v. Revolution Labs., LLC, 949 F.3d 385, 392 (7th Cir. 2020). Although a plaintiff need not allege personal jurisdiction in their complaint, they bear the burden of establishing it once a defendant moves to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(2). Id. at 392. At the pleading stage, a plaintiff only needs to establish a prima facie case for personal jurisdiction to proceed. uBID, Inc. v. GoDaddy Grp., Inc., 623 F.3d 421, 423 (7th Cir. 2010). The plaintiff “is entitled to the resolution in its favor of all disputes concerning relevant facts presented in the record.” Purdue Rsch. Found. v. Sanofi-Synthelabo, S.A., 338 F.3d 773, 782 (7th Cir. 2003) (citation and quotation marks omitted). The Court may weigh declarations submitted by the parties in evaluating whether the plaintiff has established its prima facie case. Curry, 949 F.3d at 393. A Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim, “test[s] the

sufficiency of the complaint, not the merits of the case.” Gociman v. Loyola Univ. of Chi., 41 F.4th 873, 885 (7th Cir. 2022). To survive a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, a complaint must “state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678

(2009). The complaint must put the defendants on “fair notice of what the . . . claim is and the grounds upon which it rests.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (citation omitted). ANALYSIS

I. HIREVUE’S RULE 12(B)(2) MOTION The Court first addresses HireVue’s motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction. In a diversity action under Illinois law,2 personal jurisdiction is permitted to the extent allowed by due process. Bristol Meyers v. Super. Ct., 137 S. Ct. 1773, 1779 (2017); Rogers v. City of Hobart, 996 F.3d 812, 818 (7th Cir. 2021). Federal law recognizes both general and specific personal jurisdiction. General personal jurisdiction exists over a defendant who has “continuous and systematic” contacts with the forum state and is “essentially at home” there. Daimler AG v. Bauman, 571 U.S. 117, 119 (2014). By contrast, specific personal jurisdiction may be

2 The Court has subject matter jurisdiction over this action under 28 U.S.C. § 1332(d), et seq. exercised only when (1) the defendant purposefully directs its activities at the forum state or conducts business in that state, and (2) the alleged injury “arise[s] out of or relate[s] to the defendant’s contacts” with the forum. Tamburo v. Dworkin, 601 F.3d

693, 702 (7th Cir. 2010). In this case, the parties do not dispute that Illinois lacks general personal jurisdiction over HireVue; the relevant question is whether the Court may exercise specific personal jurisdiction over the company. In support of its Rule 12(b)(2) motion, HireVue submitted the unrebutted declarations of its former Senior Vice President of Product, Richard Simmons, and its Chief Financial Officer, Kevin Coombs. (See R. 57-1 (“Simmons Decl.”); R. 57-2

(“Coombs Decl.”).) The Simmons declaration provides an overview of HireVue’s software platform and its relationship to the plaintiffs’ individual allegations. (See generally Simmons Decl.) Simmons states that HireVue provides its customers with an “out-of-the-box” interview platform, which employers can customize and configure to fit their needs. (Simmons Decl. ¶ 6.) Interview applicants’ data are collected and analyzed with “HireVue Assessments,” an “optional add-on component” to HireVue’s basic software

package. (Simmons Decl. ¶¶ 9–16.) Simmons states that most of HireVue’s customers do not use the HireVue Assessments technology and represents that only one of the plaintiffs—Max Ellithorpe—was interviewed using this technology. (Id. ¶¶ 16, 29) Simmons also states that HireVue Assessments was not developed in Illinois and no team in Illinois was involved in its creation. (Id. ¶ 18.) The Coombs declaration provides an overview of HireVue’s corporate operations and presence in Illinois. (See generally Coombs Decl.) Coombs states that HireVue has no meaningful corporate presence in Illinois and does not market its

technology to individual residents of the state. (Coombs Decl. ¶¶ 4–5, 8.) He states that HireVue does not control over where its customers deploy its software. (Id. ¶ 9.) Coombs concedes, however, that HireVue employs eight individuals who reside in Illinois. (Id.

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Bluebook (online)
Deyerler v. HireVue Inc., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/deyerler-v-hirevue-inc-ilnd-2024.