A Class Action Lawsuit From Home Depot In Canada Was Just Approved – Here’s What You Need To Know

A class-action lawsuit against Home Depot Canada has been approved by a BC court, all linked to alleged privacy violations involving customers’ email addresses.

If you shopped at Home Depot and chose to receive your receipt via email between October 2018 and October 2022, you might want to pay attention — this class action lawsuit in Canada could affect you.

The case centers around allegations that Home Depot shared customer data, including email addresses, with Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) without proper consent, violating privacy laws in several provinces.

The information was then used to match purchases with Facebook profiles to analyze the effectiveness of ad campaigns.

Judge Peter Edelmann approved the certification of the class action for the alleged violations of privacy in a decision published Wednesday, though he denied allegations that Home Depot violated other obligations or contracts.

Remember, the court’s approval is not a judgment or a finding of wrongdoing – it just means the trial is allowed to proceed.

Who is eligible?

The class includes anyone in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Newfoundland and Labrador who shopped at Home Depot between October 1, 2018 and October 31, 2022 and provided their email address to receive an electronic receipt.

If this sounds like you, you can be part of the cause. The decision also noted that similar lawsuits are pending in Quebec and Saskatchewan, so this could have a broader impact across the country.

What’s next?

Now that the class action has been certified, the case will move forward in court. The judge highlighted that it is more practical to pursue this as a group than individual lawsuits given the large number of people potentially affected – over six million emails were shared with Meta.

The lawsuit will determine whether Home Depot violated privacy laws and whether customers are entitled to compensation.

For now, eligible Canadians do not need to take immediate action to join the class.

The law firm representing the plaintiffs, Merchant Law Group LLP, has a contact list for those interested in updates. You can register on the class action website without any legal or financial obligation.

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