Consumer Suit Against AmEx May Proceeed

WASHINGTON (CN) – A federal judge reversed the removal of a complaint that accuses American Express of unconstitutionally outsourcing the handling of its card members’ private data to foreign countries, sending the complaint back to D.C. Superior Court.      American Express Travel Related Services argued that the consumer protection case against it was “pervaded with federal questions,” namely violations of the Fourth Amendment, but U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler struck down the credit giant’s argument, stating that the plaintiffs’ complaint alleges deceptive trade practices that fall under the scope of the D.C. Consumer Protection Act. She added that the plaintiffs were not seeking any relief under the Fourth Amendment.     Judge Kessler also awarded the plaintiffs in the case the costs associated with removing the complaint back from federal court.