Curriculum Vitae
J. ELI WADE-SCOTT is an Associate at Edelson PC where his practice focuses on privacy- and tech-related class actions and enforcement actions brought by governments. Eli has been appointed to represent several states, including as a Special Assistant State’s Attorney to prosecute Facebook’s violations of the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and by the State of New Mexico to prosecute Google’s violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. In his work representing classes of employees and consumers, Eli has returned some of the highest per-person relief ever secured in a privacy case—resulting in checks for nearly a thousand dollars to be sent directly to entire classes with no need to make a claim.
Before joining Edelson, Eli served as a law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca Pallmeyer of the Northern District of Illinois. Eli has also worked as a Skadden Fellow at Legal Aid Chicago, Cook County’s federally-funded legal aid provider. There, Eli represented dozens of low-income tenants in affirmative litigation against their landlords to remedy dangerous housing conditions.
During law school, Eli was an Executive Editor on the Harvard Law and Policy Review and a research assistant to Professor Vicki C. Jackson.
Representative cases:
- In re Facebook, Inc., Consumer Privacy User Profile Litig., No. 18-cv-06486, 2019 WL 348893 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 29, 2019). Appointed Special Assistant State’s Attorney; briefed and argued successful motion to remand the action filed by Cook County State’s Attorney on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois.
- City of Chicago and People of the State of Illinois, ex rel. Kimberly M. Foxx, State’s Attorney of Cook County, Illinois v. Uber Technologies, Inc., No. 17-CH-15594 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty, Ill.). Representing the City of Chicago and Cook County State’s Attorney against Uber Technologies.
- State of New Mexico, ex rel. Hector Balderas, Attorney General for the State of New Mexico v. Google LLC, 20-cv-00143 (D.N.M.). Appointed to represent State of New Mexico in case against Google for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
- Figueroa v. Kronos Inc., No. 19 C 1306, 2020 WL 1848206, at *1 (N.D. Ill. Apr. 13, 2020). Defeated motion to dismiss and motion to strike class certification in novel case against biometric timeclock vendor.
- Lloyd v. Xanitos, Inc., 2018-CH-15351 (Cir. Ct. Cook Cty. Jul. 25, 2019). Secured final approval of settlement in which defendant paid a total of $1,300 per class member in monetary relief; direct checks were distributed to all class members.
- Barnes v. Aryzta LLC, 288 F. Supp. 3d 834 (N.D. Ill. 2017). Secured remand from federal court and attorneys’ fees, successfully arguing that a removing defendant had the burden to demonstrate plaintiff’s Article III standing.
- Wilson v. Huuuge, Inc., No. 3:18-cv-05276, 2018 WL 5921019 (W.D. Wash. Nov. 13, 2018). Defeated defendant’s motion to compel arbitration in putative nationwide consumer class actions against gambling company.
- Wilson v. Playtika, Ltd., No. 18-cv-05277, 2018 WL 6065658 (W.D. Wash. Nov. 20, 2018). Defeated motion to dismiss for forum non conveniens based on forum selection clause in statewide consumer class action against gambling company.
- Dickey v. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., No. 15-cv-04922, 2019 WL 251488 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 17, 2019). Assisted in briefing successful motion to certify a nationwide class of consumers alleging claims under California consumer protection laws.
Awards and Honors:
- Recognized as a 2019 Illinois Rising Star by Super Lawyers.
- Awarded an Equal Justice America Fellowship in 2012 and Vorenberg Equal Justice Summer Fellowship in 2013 to fund public interest positions.
- Awarded a Skadden Fellowship by the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, 2014.
Teaching:
- Guest Lecturer in the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law’s Clinic Practice: Civil Litigation Course, 2015 and 2016.