Santangelo v. Comcast Corp.

341 F. Supp. 3d 830
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Illinois
DecidedSeptember 17, 2018
Docket15-cv-0293
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 341 F. Supp. 3d 830 (Santangelo v. Comcast Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Santangelo v. Comcast Corp., 341 F. Supp. 3d 830 (illinoised 2018).

Opinion

John Z. Lee, United States District Judge

When Plaintiff Keith Santangelo contacted Defendant Comcast Corporation ("Comcast") to inquire about obtaining internet services, the Comcast representative informed him that Comcast needed to obtain Santangelo's credit score in order to ensure that he qualified. The representative also told him that he could forego the credit check if he simply paid a $50 deposit. Santangelo agreed and paid $50 with a credit card. As it turns out, Comcast pulled his credit anyway, and Santangelo's credit score went down by six points that day. As a result, Santangelo filed this lawsuit, alleging that Comcast violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"), 15 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. , and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act ("ICFA"), 815 Ill. Comp. Stat. 505. Santangelo also claims that Comcast breached their agreement and was unjustly enriched when it obtained Santangelo's credit score.

Comcast now moves for summary judgment as to all of Santangelo's claims. In response, Santangelo has filed his own motion seeking summary judgment as to his FCRA claim. For the reasons stated herein, each party's motion is granted in part and denied in part.

Factual Background 1

Santangelo contacted Comcast on December 3, 2014, to inquire about obtaining *833internet service for his apartment. Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶¶ 23, 24, ECF No. 224. Comcast's representative asked Santangelo for permission to do a credit check, id. ¶ 25, and Santangelo asked if there was an alternative available, such as providing a refundable deposit, id. ¶ 26. The representative told Santangelo that, to avoid a credit check, Santangelo could instead pay a $50 deposit via credit card online. Id. ¶ 27; Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶ 9, ECF No. 228-2. This was in accordance with a policy in place at the time in Comcast's Greater Chicago Region, which required a $50 deposit if consumers did not want their credit checked or if they failed a credit check. Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 13; Def.'s Ex. 11, R. Sanfelice Dep. at 50:1-7, ECF No. 228-14; Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶ 3.

Santangelo agreed to pay the $50 deposit, Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 28. He then submitted his credit card information for the deposit via the online link that the representative provided and informed the representative that he had done so. Id. ¶ 30. However, the representative failed to uncheck a box on his computer screen that, by default, sent a credit-check request to Equifax whenever a representative clicked "Apply." Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶¶ 14, 15, 32; Pl.'s Ex. 6 at 3, ECF No. 224-6. As a result, just one minute after Santangelo informed the representative that he had submitted his credit-card payment information, Comcast initiated a credit check with Equifax. Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 31; Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶ 11. The representative quickly received a result message, "Passed / Proceed with Order," Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 31, and Comcast received Santangelo's TELCO credit result from Equifax. Id. ¶ 33.2

Two minutes later, the representative asked Santangelo to resubmit his credit-card information for the $50 deposit. Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 36; Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶ 12. Santangelo did so and advised the representative of the same. Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 37. The representative then offered Santangelo an internet service package, id. ¶ 38, which Santangelo proceeded to order, Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶ 13.

Santangelo's credit score dropped by six points on December 3, 2014, the same day that Comcast initiated the credit check with Equifax. Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶ 31. And Comcast's credit-check policy advises its representatives that "every time credit is checked by Comcast it becomes a permanent part of the customer's credit history and can lower their credit rating." Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 43.

Santangelo's credit report does not reflect any other credit inquiries on December 3 or 4, Def.'s Ex. 9 at 7, ECF No. 228-12. That said, Capital One, Inc. and Intuit Inc. each made a credit inquiry in the days immediately prior to December 3, Def.'s LR 56.1(b)(3)(C) Stmt. ¶¶ 4, 7.

Soon after discovering that his credit score had dropped, Santangelo called Comcast to complain. Pl.'s LR 56.1(a)(3) Stmt. ¶ 44. Santangelo spoke with a different representative, who confirmed that Comcast, in fact, had requested his credit information. Id. ¶ 46. Santangelo asked to speak with a supervisor, who told him that she could not reinstate the points to his Equifax credit score. Id. ¶ 49. However, she offered to "try to" transfer him to the collections department "to see if they are actually able to do something." Id. But she cautioned that she "will not be able to guarantee that the taking out of the points *834will be fixed." Id. Hearing this, Santangelo hung up the phone. Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
341 F. Supp. 3d 830, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/santangelo-v-comcast-corp-illinoised-2018.