US Supreme Court to hear government appeal in credit report dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a bid by President Joe Biden's administration to shield the federal government from lawsuits over errors related to credit reports in a case involving a dispute between a Pennsylvania man and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The justices took up the USDA's appeal of a lower court's ruling that a legal doctrine called sovereign immunity does not shield the U.S. government from liability in lawsuits concerning credit reporting inaccuracies. The administration is seeking to block Reginald Kirtz's lawsuit against a USDA agency brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a 1970 law passed by Congress to ensure fair and accurate credit reporting.