Retired West Virginia officer sued Whitepages in 2024 under the state's new Daniel's Law analog
A retired West Virginia officer sued Whitepages in 2024 for failing to remove his home address after notice, the first publicly reported civil action under W. Va. Code §5A-8-24. The state's new Daniel's Law analog gives officers and judges a private right of action against data brokers.
What happened
In late 2024, The Record reported that a retired West Virginia law enforcement officer had filed suit against Whitepages, alleging the broker continued to publish his home address and personal information after he notified the company under W. Va. Code §5A-8-24. That statute, West Virginia's Daniel's Law analog, gives covered persons, including current and retired officers, judges, prosecutors, and public defenders, the right to demand removal and to recover $1,000 per violation if the broker willfully refuses. The compliance window written into the statute is immediate, with willful refusal measured at 24 hours. The officer's filing was among the first publicly reported civil actions under the law.
What happened
In December 2024, The Record from Recorded Future News reported that a retired West Virginia law enforcement officer had filed a civil suit against Whitepages, alleging violation of W. Va. Code §5A-8-24. The statute is West Virginia's Daniel's Law analog, enacted to give judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and law enforcement officers, current and retired, a private right of action against data brokers that continue to publish their personal information after a removal request.
The Record's reporting noted that the officer's complaint described notifying the broker, observing continued publication, and seeking statutory damages of $1,000 per violation as the law allows.
How it started
West Virginia passed §5A-8-24 in part because of what New Jersey's experience with Daniel's Law had shown. New Jersey officers had filed hundreds of suits against data brokers between 2023 and 2025 after the brokers ignored removal notices. West Virginia officers and judges now have the same lever.
The practical reality is that broker removal is mostly a notice-and-monitor problem. Statutes like §5A-8-24 give the lever real teeth, but only if officers actually pull the lever.
What this means for you
If you're an officer, prosecutor, or judge in West Virginia, §5A-8-24 is the strongest statutory tool you have. The statute requires immediate compliance from the broker once notice is given, with willful refusal triggering damages.
Sending those notices, watching for re-listing, and following through on damages is the work. We do the notices and the watching. The law is the lever; consistent removal is the deterrent.
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What would have prevented this
West Virginia's [Daniel's Law](/laws/daniels-law) analog is one of the strongest statutory tools any state offers an officer. The catch is enforcement. The law works only if you serve notice on the broker, document non-compliance, and follow through. We send the notices, document the responses, and re-file when listings come back. That's how a one-time lawsuit becomes a sustained deterrent.
Public sources
- West Virginia law enforcement sues data broker for publishing personal information online — The Record from Recorded Future News, 2024-12-12