How we used consumer data to reach class members across time and place
Hillsborough County Surtax Settlement
Signal implemented the notice program in Emerson v. Florida Department of Revenue, Case No. 2021-CA-487 (Fla. Cir. Ct., 2d Jud. Cir., Leon Cnty., Civ. Div.), a class action settlement that provided refunds to Tampa Bay Area consumers who paid a 1% sales surcharge on transactions between 2019 and 2021.
Signal reviewed geographic mobility data to calculate an estimated class size to ensure appropriate reach among affected residents and visitors. More research was required to determine the number of people who moved out of the area in the three years between the end of the class period and the start of the notice program. And because Hillsborough County includes the travel hub of Tampa Bay and several major colleges and universities, special consideration was given to non-permanent residents.
Using Signal’s licensed consumer data representing more than 270 million Americans, Signal established counts of Hillsborough County residents who lived there during some or all of the class period, and identified which individuals still lived in or around Hillsborough County and those who had moved elsewhere in the United States.
Individual IDs for class members who remained in Hillsborough and for those who moved were matched to social platform data, enabling precise outreach across Meta platforms.
The claims administrator, BrownGreer, used our data to mail notice to over 800,000 class members who resided in the area during the class period.
