Aaron’s “spying” lawsuit moves forward

A couple seeking class action status in a lawsuit against Atlanta-based Aaron’s over alleged spying was given the greenlight after an appeals court overturned a lower court ruling disallowing the class certification.

Crystal and Brian Byrd of Casper Wyoming accuse the rent-to-own giant and one of its franchisees of using a program on a rented computer that allowed the pair to gather sensitive information, such as social security and credit card numbers, as well as capturing intimate conversations.

A Magistrate Judge said the classes proposed by the couple’s in their certification were “overly broad,” but a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit said the magistrate jurist “abused its discretion” in the case and allowed the lawsuit to move forward, said the office of one of couple’s attorneys, Herman Gerel LLP, of Atlanta .