Structured Settlements 4Real®Blog 2026

Structured settlements expert John Darer reviews the latest structured settlements and settlement planning information and news, and provides expert opinion and highly regarded commentary. that is spicy, Informative, irreverent and effective for over 20 years.

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The STRUCTURED SETTLEMENTS 4REAL® Blog is a highly regarded source for structured settlement news, information, and commentary, led by structured settlement and settlement planning subect mater expert John Darer CLU ChFC MSSC CeFT RSP CLTC. With two decades of operation, the blog and 4structures.com are recognized as comprehensive resources, offering detailed guides and specialized insights. Established in 2005, the blog caters to a broad audience, including legal professionals, injured individuals, families, and various stakeholders, providing reviews and opinions on settlement planning. John Darer, President of 4structures.com LLC, is a seasoned structured settlement expert with over 40 years of financial services experience and 31 years specializing in structured settlements. Based in Stamford, CT, he is a Certified Financial Transitionist and Registered Settlement Planner, holding insurance licenses in 45 states and the District of Columbia. John Darer is dedicated to transparency and advocacy, he emphasizes the importance of engaging trained and licensed professionals for settlement planning, offering valuable insights through his investigative journalism and professional commentary.

California Data Broker Registry Marks Progress Against Court Scrapers and Structured Settlement Annuitant Info Trafficking

by Structured Settlement Watchdog

California law requires a data broker, as that term is defined in California Civil Code § 1798.99.80, to register with the Attorney General on its internet Data Privacy website that is accessible to the public, on or before January 31 following each year in which a business meets the definition of a data broker.

What is Court Scraper?  What is Court Scraping?  How Does Court Scraping Impact Structured Settlement Annuitants?

Court scraping is the process of searching court records for personal identifiable information about individuals, with whom the scraper has no direct relationship, whose settlements involve structured settlements. The scrapers peddle the information to mostly unlicensed/unregistered individuals and or entities, whose unlicensed or uncredentialled representatives harass structured settlement annuitants and may provide unlicensed financial advice to sell their payment rights. The court scraped victims are first subjected to a carpet bombing of email solicitations as the predators set their hooks. This in turn is followed by a shower of unwanted phone calls, followed by unlicensed financial advice and a pennies on the dollar financial solution that is a  money loser 100% of the time.

I've reported about some of these cadgers in prior blog posts. Here is a sample:

What is a Data Broker Under California Civil Code § 1798.99.80 ?

"Data broker" means a business that knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship. "Data broker" does not include any of the following:

(1) A consumer reporting agency to the extent that it is covered by the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act ( 15 U.S.C. Sec. 1681 et seq.).
(2) A financial institution to the extent that it is covered by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ( Public Law 106-102 ) and implementing regulations.
(3) An entity to the extent that it is covered by the Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act (Article 6.6 (commencing with Section 1791) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 1 of the Insurance Code).
What Other States Require Data Broker Registration?
Vermont became the first state to require data brokers to register annually with the government beginning in 2019.  [ 9 VSA ch 62, subch. 5   Also Ibid 9 VSA §2446 and §2447]\
In 2020, Hawaii, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington were considering bills that would require data brokers to register and provide information to consumers on how to opt out of the collection of information.
Federal Privacy Rules Must Get " Data Broker" Definitions Right  is an excellent article by Justin Sherman published April 8, 2021 on the LawFare blog.
Sherman says  "…data brokerage—in broad terms, companies buying and selling data on consumers—remains heavily underdiscussed in these conversations on potential regulatory action. Those engaged in this practice include companies that sell large datasets that other firms use to microtarget online ads, and companies that aggregate information from public records and link them to individuals on their websites (those “click here to run a background check” ads you see on search engines). Some companies, such as Lexis/Nexis, have transformed their traditional business into data brokerage, while others, such as traditional consumer reporting agencies and companies that help local governments digitize their records, have often made data brokerage just one component of what they do. That’s why the entity that directly and initially collects a consumer’s information is often only the first in a long chain that will acquire it" 
Sherman, who is a fellow at the Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative, a research fellow at the Tech, Law & Security Program at American University Washington College of Law, and a cyber policy fellow at the Duke Tech Policy Lab, opines that data brokerage must be a core component of federal privacy legislation and enforcement actions.

 

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