ZK Technology $635K BIPA Settlement — Alliance Ground Workers

Biometric Privacy · Claims Open

Current Status

Claims are open. Claim forms are due November 10, 2026, online or by mail with a postmark by that date. The Circuit Court of Cook County has granted preliminary approval, and the final approval hearing is scheduled for November 23, 2026 at 9:30 a.m. No payment date has been set; payments come only if the court grants final approval.

What Changed Recently?

The court preliminarily approved a $635,160 settlement in Roman v. ZK Technology LLC, No. 2022-CH-06727, a biometric privacy class action before Judge Joel Chupack in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and notices went out to identified workers with the credentials needed to file online. The same settlement resolves a companion federal case with the same caption in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No. 23-cv-15058.

ZK Technology LLC supplied finger-scan and face-scan timeclocks used by Alliance Ground International, LLC, an aviation ground-services company. The lawsuit alleges ZK Technology violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by collecting or receiving AGI workers' fingerprint and face-geometry data for timekeeping without first giving the written disclosures and obtaining the written consent the law requires. ZK Technology denies violating BIPA, the court has not decided who is right, and the settlement is not an admission of wrongdoing.

Who Qualifies?

The settlement class covers people who, while working for AGI in Illinois at any time between September 2020 and August 12, 2026, scanned a finger or face on AGI's finger-scan or face-scan timekeeping system without consent having been obtained to share their biometric information with ZK Technology.

Excluded are anyone who opts out, anyone who signed a release of BIPA claims, anyone who was a member of a collective bargaining agreement, anyone who already released these claims in a related case dismissed before the settlement took effect, and the judge, court staff and their immediate families.

How Much Can You Get?

Every valid claimant receives an equal share of the $635,160 fund, capped at $2,000 per person. The notice estimates each payment at $800 to $2,000, depending mostly on how many valid claims are filed.

Several costs come out of the fund before it is divided: Class Counsel's attorneys' fees of up to 38% of the fund plus costs, a service award of up to $5,000 for the class representative, and settlement administration expenses, all subject to court approval.

On the claim form you choose how to be paid: a paper check or an electronic payment such as PayPal, Venmo or Zelle. Checks expire 120 days after they are issued.

What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?

No receipts or employment records are required, but filing online requires the Login ID and PIN printed on the notice mailed to you. The settlement website's online claim form will not open without both.

If you did not receive a notice or cannot find it, the settlement website offers a downloadable paper claim form that can be completed and mailed instead, or you can use the website's contact page to ask the administrator to resend your Login ID and PIN.

What Is the Deadline?

Online claims must be submitted by November 10, 2026. Mailed claim forms must be postmarked no later than November 10, 2026. The notice does not specify a time zone.

Requests to opt out and written objections must be postmarked by October 23, 2026, which is earlier than the claim deadline.

How Do You Take Action?

Go to the official ZK BIPA Settlement website, run by the court-appointed administrator Simpluris, and open the claim form. Enter the Login ID and PIN from your notice, confirm your information, pick check or electronic payment, and submit by November 10, 2026.