LexisNexis once told a group of consumers something no one wants to hear: it had reported them as dead. Not late on a payment, not denied credit — dead. It’s part of a $13.5 million settlement still working its way through federal court, and it’s not even the only major FCRA case LexisNexis has faced. If a LexisNexis report cost you a job, an apartment, insurance coverage, or credit you should’ve qualified for, you’re dealing with a company that’s been here before.
LexisNexis touches more parts of your life than most background check companies — employment, insurance, tenant screening, even identity verification. That reach means an error in one database can follow you into several parts of your life at once. Here’s what to look for, what to do, and how we can help.
Dealing with a LexisNexis error right now? Reach out for a free consultation — the sooner we talk, the more we can do.
LexisNexis isn’t just one kind of background check. Employers use it to check criminal records and verify your history. Landlords use it to screen rental applicants. Insurance companies pull from its CLUE database — a record of your past auto and property insurance claims — to help set your rates. Banks and lenders use it to verify your identity and check for fraud.
That’s a lot of ground for one company to cover, and a lot of chances for something to go wrong. An error in one part of your LexisNexis file can quietly follow you into a job application, a lease, or an insurance quote without you ever knowing it was there.
Because LexisNexis covers so much ground, errors tend to fall into a few recurring categories. Sometimes a criminal record or judgment gets matched to the wrong person because two people share a similar name or birth date. Other times, information that should be gone stays on the report — an expunged charge, or a lien or judgment that was resolved but never got updated in the file.
Insurance data causes its own headaches. The CLUE database can list claims incorrectly, which can quietly raise your rates or get you denied coverage without a clear explanation why. And in the case we mentioned earlier, LexisNexis has even reported living people as deceased on identity and fraud-prevention reports — an error serious enough to trigger a class action lawsuit.
None of these are small mistakes. Any one of them can cost you a job, an apartment, affordable insurance, or credit you’d otherwise qualify for. If something like this happened to you, here’s what to do next.
Here’s the process for fixing a LexisNexis error, step by step — you won’t have to navigate it alone.
If a LexisNexis error already cost you a job, housing, insurance, or credit, reach out now — the sooner we’re involved, the more we can do.
Whether you’re just starting to dig into this or you already tried disputing it and got nowhere, here’s what we bring:
LexisNexis is far from the only reporting company we’ve seen make these kinds of mistakes. We’ve also helped people with problems from First Advantage, Sterling, Checkr, Accurate Background, and HireRight. If your credit report specifically has errors, we handle those too — see our page on credit report errors and disputes.
You don’t just have to take our word that this happens. In one case, the company agreed to a $13.5 million settlement after a court challenged its position that certain reports weren’t covered by consumer protection law at all. More recently, a separate $13.5 million settlement is working through federal court over reports that wrongly listed living consumers as deceased.
Two separate multimillion-dollar settlements don’t happen by accident. If you’re wondering whether the error on your report is a fluke or part of a real pattern, this history is part of the answer.
A LexisNexis error shouldn’t cost you a job, an apartment, or affordable insurance. At Sherman & Ticchio, we help people across New York and New Jersey fix inaccurate consumer reports and take legal action when a reporting company won’t correct a real mistake.
Reach out for a free consultation, and let us help protect your record. Don’t let a LexisNexis error hold you back — contact Sherman & Ticchio now.
Can You Take Legal Action Against LexisNexis?
Often, yes. Especially if the inaccuracy already cost you something real, like a job, housing, or credit, and LexisNexis didn’t follow the law. LexisNexis has settled multiple lawsuits like this before. Contact us for a free consultation to find out where your case stands.
What’s the Most Common Reason for Failing a Background Check?
Most of the time, it’s accurate information — a real criminal record, a gap in employment, or a failed verification. But sometimes it’s an error: a mismatched identity, an outdated record, or a case that was already resolved but still shows up as active. If you believe the reason you failed isn’t accurate, it’s worth reviewing your report closely.
Has LexisNexis Faced Class Action Lawsuits Before?
Yes — LexisNexis has settled at least two major FCRA class actions before — one over outdated lien and judgment data, and a more recent one over wrongly reporting people as deceased. Being part of a past class action doesn’t automatically apply to your situation, but it’s a strong sign this isn’t a one-time mistake.
How Reliable Is LexisNexis’s Reporting, Really?
LexisNexis’s reporting is reliable most of the time — it pulls from a massive number of databases, and that process usually works. But scale cuts both ways — the same automation that makes it fast is also why mismatched identities and outdated records slip through. If something on your report looks wrong, it’s worth a closer look.