Background Check Error Lawsuits in Fresno

California's Fair Chance Act applies statewide, including in Fresno and Madera counties. Since January 1, 2018, it has generally barred employers with five or more employees from asking about conviction history before a conditional job offer. State regulations require an individualized assessment before an employer withdraws an offer over a conviction. The applicant must get written notice and at least five business days to respond. No separate City of Fresno or Fresno County fair-chance or tenant-screening ordinance was found in city council records.

California also limits how housing providers use criminal history. State fair housing regulations bar acting on arrests that did not lead to a conviction, sealed or dismissed convictions, and most juvenile records. They also bar blanket bans on everyone with a record. These rules apply to landlords in the Fresno region, where many renters are screened by national tenant screening companies.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, background check and tenant screening companies must follow reasonable procedures for maximum possible accuracy. Before an employer rejects you based on a report, it must give you a copy and a summary of your rights. FCRA claims about inaccurate reports from this metro can be filed in the Eastern District of California's Fresno courthouse or in California state court.

Where Fresno FCRA cases are filed

FCRA claims are federal, so they go to a United States District Court. Cases from Fresno are heard in one federal district:

Eastern District of CaliforniaFresno and Madera counties, which the court assigns to its Fresno location. Courthouses: Fresno.Filed with local or cooperating counsel

Our attorneys are licensed in Texas, California, and Georgia. Where they aren't admitted in your local federal court, we work with local or cooperating counsel who are. You may also be able to sue where the company that reported you is based, in a court where our attorneys are admitted:

Checkr: HQ in N.D. California
First Advantage and Sterling: HQ in N.D. Georgia
RealPage: HQ in N.D. Texas

Which court is right depends on your facts. We'll tell you at your free case review.

Local and state rules in Fresno

California Fair Chance Act (Cal. Gov. Code § 12952; Cal. Code Regs. tit. 2, § 11017.1)
Employers with five or more employees generally may not ask about or consider conviction history until after a conditional job offer. Before withdrawing an offer, the employer must make an individualized assessment, give written notice, and allow at least five business days to respond. Read it
Criminal history in housing (fair housing regulations) (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 2, §§ 12264-12271)
Housing providers may not act on arrests that did not result in conviction, diversion, infractions, sealed, dismissed or expunged convictions, or most juvenile records. Blanket bans on all applicants with a criminal record are also prohibited. Read it

State law also applies: see California Background Check Error Lawyers.

Common background check errors

Someone else's criminal or eviction record matched to you by name
Dismissed, sealed or expunged cases still reported
Charges reported as convictions, or misdemeanors as felonies
The same case listed several times
Eviction filings reported without the dismissal or outcome

Learn how these cases work on our background check lawsuits page, or read our lawsuit guides for Checkr, Sterling, HireRight, First Advantage, RealPage, SafeRent, RentGrow and TransUnion Rental Screening.

Frequently asked questions

Can a Fresno employer ask about my record on a job application?

Under California's Fair Chance Act, employers with five or more employees generally may not ask about conviction history until after a conditional offer, with limited exceptions. If an employer then runs a background check and plans to withdraw the offer, it must give you written notice and at least five business days to respond. If the report itself is wrong, the FCRA may also apply.

A landlord in Fresno or Madera County denied me because of an old arrest. Is that allowed?

California fair housing regulations bar housing providers from acting on arrests that did not lead to a conviction. They also bar acting on sealed or dismissed convictions and on blanket bans on anyone with a record. If a screening report listed an arrest or record that should not have been reported, you may also have a claim against the screening company under the FCRA.

Does Fresno have its own ban-the-box or tenant screening ordinance?

A review of City of Fresno council records did not show a city fair-chance hiring or tenant screening ordinance. Residents of Fresno and Madera counties are still covered by California's statewide Fair Chance Act and fair housing regulations. They are also covered by the federal FCRA.

How long do I have to file an FCRA lawsuit in Fresno?

FCRA deadlines are the same everywhere: generally two years from when you discover the violation, and no more than five years from when it happened (15 U.S.C. § 1681p). Waiting can cost you the claim.

Sources

Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.