Opinion ID: 844281
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Third and Fourth Causes of Action

Text: (15) As in Carlson v. Trans Union, LLC, supra, 259 F.Supp.2d at pages 521-522, we determine whether state law claims are preempted by section 1681t(b)(1)(F) by comparing whether the substance of [the] claim ( Carlson, at p. 521)its elementsoverlaps with or is distinct from the matters regulated under section 1681s-2. (See also Cipollone v. Liggett Group, Inc., supra, 505 U.S. at pp. 524-530 [analyzing whether state claims impose a preempted requirement or prohibition by examining the duties underlying each cause of action].) The third and fourth causes of action in the operative complaint allege, on behalf of Brown's two minor children and Brown himself, that Mortensen made unauthorized disclosures of the Browns' confidential medical information to three consumer reporting agencies. The Browns allege Mortensen disclosed to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion their names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, telephone numbers, and Brown's and his children's entire dental history with Dr. Reinholds, including alleged dental treatments. (See Civ. Code, § 56.05, subd. (g) [defining individually identifiable medical information as information regarding a patient's medical history in combination with a name, address, telephone number, or similar detail that reveals the individual's identity].) Brown never authorized Dr. Reinholds or Mortensen to disclose this information to any third party, including the three consumer reporting agencies. Mortensen argues these claims are preempted because the operative complaint mentions Brown complained to the consumer reporting agencies that the disclosures were inaccurate and, alternatively, because the Browns' claims rest on the idea that Mortensen misled the consumer reporting agencies by implying either that Brown's children owed a debt or that their medical records were in some way relevant to Brown's disputed debt. According to Mortensen, this allegation and these theories bring the claims within section 1681s-2(a)'s regulation of furnisher accuracy and thus section 1681t(b)(1)(F)'s preemptive scope. (16) This contention mistakes the nature of a Confidentiality Act claim, both in the abstract and as pleaded. [16] As noted ante, that the information disclosed was inaccurate is not an element of a claim: the Confidentiality Act (Civ. Code, § 56 et seq.) requires only that the disclosure, whether true or not, occurred without authorization. The third and fourth causes of action repeatedly allege the disclosures occurred, were unauthorized, and injured the Browns. It will not be any part of Brown's required proof to show the disclosures were inaccurate or misleading as well. [17] Nor does the complaint establish that any of Mortensen's disclosures were made in the course of responding to official notice of a credit information dispute, such that section 1681s-2(b) would apply. Accordingly, these claims as pleaded, having as their gravamen issues neither of accuracy nor of credit dispute resolution, do not involve the same subject matter as section 1681s-2 and are not preempted.