A California federal judge has dismissed a proposed class action accusing Lowe’s of secretly feeding shoppers’ personal data to TikTok and Microsoft, ruling that the plaintiffs failed to show the kind of tangible harm needed to keep their case alive—even though their wiretap allegations were sufficiently laid out.
Claims Derailed—For Now
In a sweeping order issued Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Dana M. Sabraw gave plaintiffs Justin Bradshaw and Gustavo Lopez until Nov. 19 to rework their complaint. Their lawsuit targets Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and Lowe’s Home Centers LLC for allegedly violating the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA). According to the suit, Lowe’s embedded TikTok and Microsoft tracking tools throughout its website, siphoning personal information from unsuspecting customers.
Judge Sabraw agreed the men had pled the necessary components of a wiretap claim—but the case veered off course due to Article III standing problems and questions of personal jurisdiction over Lowe’s parent company, which insisted it neither owned nor operated the website.
