Bank Of America Improperly Handled Unemployment Benefits That Led To Loss Of Benefits And Compromised Data Privacy

Bank of America is being sued in a class action lawsuit for its alleged improper handling of the unemployment benefits (LWD Debit Cards) of New Jersey residents that led to countless individuals suffering from loss of unemployment payments and weakened personal privacy.

Cassandra Valerie Beaman v. Bank of America, N.A.

The Bank Of America LWD Debit Cards Class Action Lawsuit is a legal action launched by the plaintiff named Cassandra Valeria Beaman. 

Beaman is a New Jersey citizen that lost her job when the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hit the United States in March 2020. 

The complainant contends that Bank of America should be held accountable for its supposed misdeeds that negatively impacted them and other similarly situated individuals.

According to the class action, the state of New Jersey’s Department of Labor and Workforce, the state body handling unemployment and other related matters, teamed up with Bank of America to deliver timely benefits to the locals of the state that have been badly affected by the COVID-19 public health scare. 

The two reportedly agreed to work with each other after Bank of America made claims that it can offer its services to issue debit cards in a timely fashion to send much-needed unemployment benefits to out-of-jobs New Jerseyans.

In addition, the bank promised that it has top-of-the-line fraud monitoring and prevention practices and measures that follow different laws and regulations. 

Brief History

Beaman, a beneficiary of the state’s unemployment support program, details that she began receiving unemployment payments from the state soon after she was out of a job with a Bank of America LWD debit card. 

However, she soon realized that fraudulent activity had been logged in relation to her account. Also, she shared that Bank of America froze access to the account, did not credit the reported fraudulent activity that lost $300 and the like. 

The plaintiff shares that she tried contacting Bank of America more than 20 times to solve the predicament.

Due to the restrictions, Beaman reports that she suffered from the whole ordeal and missed out on paying their rent and other expenses during her deadlines. 

The Bank Of America LWD Debit Cards Class Action Lawsuit argues that Bank of America sidelined the needs of those that have an LWD debit card. Per official filings, these cards have an outdated technology that made them more prone to card theft and the like.

Further, it is said that the bank denied the fraud reports raised by the complainant and others without giving them ample explanation or conducting an investigation regarding the incident. 

Beaman claims that Bank of America violates its own company policy that guarantees all of its clients protection from ‘adverse financial consequences due to [the] fraudulent usage [of their accounts].’

A Nationwide Class is being proposed that aims to cover all LWD debit card owners sponsored by Bank of America from the 1st of January 2020 onwards and those whose unemployment benefits have been halted by the bank for supposed failure to establish valid customer identity. 

A myriad of other subclasses that would include eligible members and other different accusations against the bank, such as security breach, account freezing and blocking, and others, are also included in the class action petition.

Editor’s Note on Bank Of America LWD Debit Cards Class Action Lawsuit:

This article is about the case filed against BoA over its alleged misdeed concerning LWD Debit Cards. We also recommend you read the Virginia Unemployment Commission Covid-19 Case.

Case Name(s) & No.(s): Cassandra Valerie Beaman v. Bank of America, N.A.; Case No.: 20561  

Jurisdiction: United States (U.S.) District Court for the District of State of New Jersey 

Allegation(s): Bank of America’s LWD debit card owners ended up not receiving their unemployment benefits because of the bank’s mishandling and other transgressions.   

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