See, it could be that this Home Depot Class Action Lawsuit might not sound like a big thing to you, but in actuality, when you see this from a blind or visually impaired person’s perspective, it sure is a big thing. You and I can go to a Home Depot nearby and gather whatever we need and get out with no issue whatsoever, but the same process becomes super hard for people with blindness or visual impairment. The reason? Oh, well, it turns out Home Depot stores had no audio prompts to help out these disabled people, and that may not sound like a big thing to you at first, but it is a clear violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that is precisely why we’re talking about this case today.
To be specific here, the case we’re talking about is specifically titled as Dalton v. Home Depot USA Inc. It was argued in the lawsuit that the machines did not have adequate audio instructions for blind customers during payment.
Well, sure enough, just like usually, the big companies out there do, not a single doubt in the fact that Home Depot did the same by not admitting to their fault in all this. Though the good thing was that they agreed to make some changes, and that was enough. Talking about the basic changes, see, the company will be upgrading or changing at least one payment terminal in each store to be capable of providing audio instructions. Besides that, store managers will get training on how to manage and support this new system properly. The settlement emphasis was not on the monetary compensation but on enhancing the accessibility of stores.
Well, so far, if you’re here to know the current status of this case, it is actually not settled or hasn’t yet reached to any conclusion. But it is expected to get some conclusive judgment in January 2026. Because in January 2026, the last court hearing will be held. So, let’s see what happens. Other than this, though, we’d like to talk about two more lawsuits that can fit in the same category as “Home Depot Class Action Lawsuit.” So let’s get to those.
Understanding the 2014 Home Depot Data Breach Lawsuit
Oh, this one goes back a decade ago, actually, and that was when a major data breach happened at Home Depot. It was a huge event, needless to say. Cybercriminals stole approximately 56 million credit card numbers and 53 million email addresses, which made it one of the largest retail data breaches at that time. That surely was something BIG.
How did it actually take place? The intruders gained access to Home Depot’s network by using compromised credentials of a third-party vendor. And after that, they spent several months inside the system pruning customer payment data.
But what became of this case then? Oh, we saw a settlement being reached in this case back in 2016. How much are we talking about? A mind-boggling $19.5 million, and from this figure, $13 million was destined for the customers’ losses, while $6.5 million was allocated to 18 months of free identity protection services.
The Canadian Privacy Lawsuit
Then there was this recent one where Home Depot is now in trouble again in 2024. What for? Oh, it is actually another class action lawsuit that has been filed against the company in British Columbia, Canada. But why though? Actually, the matter here is concerning customer privacy and data sharing, once again, just like the 2014 lawsuit.
The complaint alleged that Home Depot had handed over customer information, including email addresses and purchase details, to Meta, the company behind Facebook. A lot of customers were under the impression that their email addresses were only used for sending digital receipts, not for receiving targeted ads. It’s an ongoing case though.
