Part of Identity-Theft Lawsuit Reinstated

A widely watched identity-theft lawsuit was partially reinstated when a federal appellate court ruled that a Southern California woman may press one of her legal claims against credit bureau Experian for allegedly disclosing information improperly. The decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reverses a lower court’s ruling that the statute of limitations on her claim had run out, according to Andrew Henderson, the woman’s attorney. Officials at Orange-based Experian declined to comment. The suit was originally filed by Adelaide Andrews in 1996. Andrews alleged that Experian, then known as TRW Credit, improperly released her personal information to creditors who were processing applications on behalf of an impostor using her name and Social Security number. Andrews claimed that Experian should have recognized the fraud, in part, because the impostor misspelled her name and used an out-of-state address. Andrews also sued Experian for allegedly giving out inaccurate credit information, but a jury ruled in favor of Experian on that claim.