Dahlstrom v. Sun-Times Media, LLC

Dist. Ct. did not err in denying defendant-newspaper’s motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ action under Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) seeking damages under circumstances where defendant obtained their birth date, height, weight, hair color and eye color from Ill. Secretary of State motor vehicle records and published said information in newspaper article that criticized homicide investigation lineup in which plaintiffs had participated. Ct. rejected defendant’s argument that instant published information did not constitute “personal information” for purposes of DPPA, or that DPPA’s prohibition on acquiring and disclosing personal information from driving records violated defendant’s freedom of speech rights under First Amendment.