TCPA VIOLATIONS

Can I Sue for Robocalls?

Absolutely, consumers have privacy rights that must be protected. In some recent reports, consumers have been inundated with spam phone calls and auto-dialer messages, sent from telecommunications companies and internet providers that are trying to advertise to old customers. This harassment may be illegal, and the companies can be held liable in spam call lawsuits.

The laws states clearly that companies and organizations may not call consumers on their home or cell phone if they are registered on the National Do Not Call Registry. Consumers who have received unsolicited and harassing robocalls may file a claim with the FCC and choose to pursue TCPA class action lawsuits.

When the law was first put in place, mobile phones were not common, and digital telecommunication technology was nowhere near what it is today. Now telemarketers and third-party call centers use sophisticated autodialer systems and huge phone number databases to pester consumers. There is a solution, however, and The Lyon Firm files spam call lawsuits following illegal telemarketing harassment.

The following types of institutions have a history of badgering consumers with unwanted phone calls, recordings and text messages:

• Telemarketers
• Banks
• Retailers
• Debt collectors
• Credit card companies
• Student loan companies
• Mortgage companies
• Real estate agents
• Politicians and Political parties—automated political calls and prerecorded messages are not permitted to cellphones and can be TCPA violations
• Marijuana Dispensaries

What are some TCPA Settlements?

Hotel chains, retailers, debt collectors, real estate agents and insurance companies have been historically the biggest violators of TCPA guidelines. Whether they are aware of the laws or just ignore the regulations, it does not matter for plaintiffs. If any consumer is harassed unlawfully, a TCPA claim may be filed, and compensation can be sought.

The largest TCPA lawsuits in history have been settled by American corporations in the last few years. In August 2014, Capital One agreed to pay $75.5 million after allegedly using an auto-dialer to call thousands of consumers’ cell phones.

Since then, settlements have been piling up as the FCC and courts have been hitting back. Other notable lawsuits and sizable awards include the following:

•    Caribbean Cruise Line $76 million
•    U.S. Coachways $49 million
•    AT&T $45 million
•    HSBC $40 million
•    Bank of America $32 million
•    Midland Credit $20 million
•    Dish Network $20.5 million
•    Portfolio Recovery $18 million
•    Wells Fargo $16 million
•    Cynosure Inc. $16 million
•    Wells Fargo $15 million
•    Life Time Fitness $15 million
•    Wells Fargo $14.5 million
•    American Eagle $14.5 million
•    Gannet Co. $13 million
•    Walgreens $11 million
•    Millward Brown $11 million
•    American Express $9 million
•    Steve Madden $10 million

Telemarketing Lawsuits & Auto-Dialer Harassment

Violators of TCPA laws not only engage in illegal marketing practice but show a disregard an inherent common courtesy that should protect the American consumer in their private life. Institutions must be held responsible for their actions, and individuals have the right to hire attorneys and fight companies for compensation.

If you never gave a company written consent, or if you enrolled in a “Do Not Call” registry, and marketers continue to solicit you, please contact an experienced consumer protection attorney. Any person who has received calls or messages that violate the TCPA may be able to file a lawsuit and seek compensation up to $1,500 per illegal call.

Consumers have the right to tell any company calling them to place them on a Do Not Call list. If the company does not respect this request, it may be time to contact an attorney. Settlements are now very likely, and have been very large in some cases.

What are Robocall Scams?

Not every pre-recorded call or robocall call is from a trusted company and consumers are urged to exercise caution with any unsolicited phone call. Scams are likely with calls requesting personal information and payments.

The elderly are often targeted by scams and are often hit with scare tactics telling them they owe some agency money. This is more common than many realize, and consumer protection laws have been strengthened accordingly. But since phone companies have not responded to robocalling as fast as necessary, TCPA lawyers and consumer protection attorneys have taken action.

Not until 2017 were phone companies allowed to block calls from potential fraudulent callers. That year the FCC adopted new rules allowing phone companies to block calls that contain fraudulent Caller IDs.

Regulators still struggle to keep up, and with all the violations each day, the FTC has only brought 134 charges against companies and telemarketers for Do Not Call and robocall violations.

Not only are companies violating laws with unwanted calls but with cell phones are stepping up the harassment with unsolicited text messages, another TCPA violation that has spurred some class action lawsuits.

To protect yourself against robocalls and spam phone calls, you can take the following measures:

• Do not answer calls from unknown numbers or ones you don’t recognize.
• Never provide or confirm personal information during a call you don’t place to institutions you know well.
• Remove your name from outbound voicemail messages. Include only your phone number.
• Be wary of phone calls from your bank, IRS, or police department that request personal information.
• If you get a lot of robocalls, call your carrier, and also register your landline and cell phone number with the federal Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov.
• Report robocalls/unwanted calls to the FTC by calling 1-888-382-1222 and a local TCPA violation attorney.

Real Estate TCPA Lawsuits

A class action lawsuit in Florida has been filed against a RE/MAX real estate franchise, claiming the company harassed consumers with unsolicited marketing, violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The TCPA is aimed at protecting consumer privacy, and the courts have taken such cases very seriously in recent years. TCPA litigation has forced the hand of telemarketers and settlements have discouraged the practice of spam calling.

This is only weeks after a North Carolina man filed a lawsuit against Keller Williams Realty for similar TCPA violations. The plaintiffs says unsolicited text messages were sent from Presidential Real Estate Group Inc., disturbing them, and likely many other consumers.

This sparked a nationwide class of people who have received unsolicited text messages in the last four years advertising RE/MAX Presidential’s real estate services. The lawsuit filed alleges RE/MAX Presidential willfully and knowingly violated TCPA laws and each class member may be entitled to $1,500 in statutory damages for each singular violation.

Recent real estate telemarketing lawsuits have brought to light the alleged use of auto-dialer technology in the real estate industry. Telemarketing services like Landvoice and RedX may be calling consumers who have not ask to be called.

When real estate agents subscribe to these phone services, consumers may be hit with multiple calls from real estate agents, thus leading to TCPA violations and lawsuits.

Plaintiffs are encouraged to save screen shots of unsolicited text messages sent to their phone after May 29, 2019. Some may be sent with real estate agents’ names and phone numbers. The RE/MAX messages have included messages like “Save Save Save Now” and “Is your home still for sale?”

Bank TCPA Violations

A number of banks, credit card companies and financial centers have been targeted in TCPA violation lawsuits in recent years. American banks that have settled TCPA suits include the following:

• Wells Fargo
• Compass Bank
• S. Bank
• Deutsche Bank
• Citizens Bank
• Capital One

In a recent class action TCPA case, plaintiffs settled with U.S. Bank National Association in federal court in Ohio after U.S. Bank allegedly violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by calling cell phones with an automatic telephone dialing system. U.S. Bank denied wrongdoing but agreed to a $2.6 million settlement to resolve the lawsuit.

Last year, Compass Bank was hit with a TCPA lawsuit that alleged the bank placed unsolicited auto-dialer survey calls to non-customers. Some call recipients supposedly also received calls after they requested that the bank place them on a “Do Not Call” list. The calls violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and lawyers reached a $1.15 million settlement with Compass.

CBD Spam Texts & Unwanted Calls

With more states opening marijuana dispensaries, consumers are reporting a rise in unlawful telemarketing and robocalling from local CBD and marijuana companies. Recent class action lawsuits have been filed based on allegations that claim CBD and marijuana dispensaries are sending illegal, unsolicited text messages and pre-recorded voicemails without consent.

The use of direct text message marketing is becoming a popular option, as studies show text messages are effective because consumers spend more time on their smartphones than ever before.

CBD and marijuana dispensaries who use pre-recorded ringless voicemails or auto-dialers may also be a violation of TCPA laws. Ringless voicemails allow telemarketing companies to reach consumers without actually ringing a phone, using tools similar to what is used for sending mass texts. These messages can use personal space in a consumer’s voicemail box, which may result in disrupting personal telephone operation.

Robocalls, using auto-dialing technology, are the most widely known form of telemarketing used by elaborate scams and legitimate businesses to attract customers. Marijuana and CBD dispensaries who use robocalls may be in violation of TCPA regulations.

If you received an unsolicited text message, pre-recorded voicemail, or robocall from a CBD or marijuana dispensary, you may qualify to join a class action lawsuit investigation.

Cannabis TCPA Litigation

TCPA class actions have been growing at the same pace of the growth of the cannabis industry as a whole. Due to increased competition, marijuana and CBD companies are aggressively marketing their stores and products, and not always in a lawful manner. Cannabis dispensaries and retailers must be aware of the risks of marketing products through automated calling, voicemail and texting systems.

Some targets of TCPA litigation in the cannabis industry are small dispensaries or storefronts. As many TCPA suits implicate recreational or medical dispensaries in violating consumers’ privacy, they are forced to rethink their strategy and respect consumer protection laws. Some recent lawsuits include the following:

• In late 2019, a Florida plaintiffs filed a class action TCPA lawsuit against Trulieve Inc., a marijuana dispensary after receiving unsolicited spam text messages from the company. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff received two promotional text messages an automatic dialing system.
• WherezHemp, a business directory of cannabis and CBD companies, was hit with a Telephone Consumer Protection class action in California.
• Ignite International allegedly violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act when they sent text message solicitation, likely generated by an automated system and sent to thousands of customers. The lead plaintiff says he registered his cellular telephone number with the federal Do No Call Registry in 2004 and never gave Ignite his permission to send any messages or call.
• Another plaintiff alleges that Desert Lake Group—also linked to First Class Herb Tincture and First Class Herbalist CBD—sent thousands of consumers unwanted automated texts with promo messages.
• The company behind Light’N Up Provisioning & Microbuddery faces class action litigation over allegedly sending unlawful telemarketing texts to consumers in Michigan.
• Good Chemistry faces a class action that alleges the dispensary sent unsolicited texts to consumers without obtaining express written consent.

If you have received unwanted texts or unsolicited spam calls from cannabis, hemp, marijuana, CBD companies, or another telemarketing outfit, you may qualify for joining a class action lawsuit and could be eligible for receiving rightful compensation.

Car Dealer Telemarketing Lawsuits

Car dealers across the country often try to get an edge on their competition with a variety of marketing tactics, some of which may be deemed illegal. Much of the telemarketing schemes car dealerships use may be construed as spam and violation of TCPA statutes, and may lead to class action litigation.

Auto dealerships that use robocalls and unsolicited text messages to consumers can be held liable for their actions. Unwanted calls and texts have been a breach of privacy for decades, and have been unlawful since 1991 when the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was enacted into law.

Car dealers have been under fire in recent years for harassing consumers with unwanted marketing materials. The TCPA law prohibits auto dealers and telemarketers from soliciting consumer cell phones without express written consent, and ensures that companies comply with the national “do-not-call” registry.

Auto dealerships might not be aware of the laws they are violating, though that makes it no less harassing for consumers. In an age where privacy is of utmost concern, companies must be cognizant of the laws that protect the public from a bombardment of advertising.

The TCPA dictates that car dealerships and other companies secure a form that proves the consumer has agreed to receive marketing materials. Telemarketing is not only irritating in some instances, but illegal. If you are receiving phone call and text spam, it is likely that you’re not the only one. Companies will often utilize autodialers and pre-recorded voicemails to reach many thousands of consumers.

Hotel TCPA Lawsuits

In December, 2017, a class of consumers filed claims against the Marriott Vacation Club in federal court for continued illegal marketing harassment and violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

The complaint claims that the Marriott Vacation Club has been making unsolicited calls to cell phones despite the fact that the phone numbers are on the national “do-not-call” registry. Plaintiffs argue that Marriott Vacation Club has been making marketing calls with the use of an automatic dialing system followed by a prerecorded voice greeting.

The plaintiff argues that she did not give the Marriott Vacation Club prior written consent to call her cell phone and that she actively told Marriott to stop calling. The lawsuit is seeking $500 in damages for each of Marriott’s violations of the TCPA and up to $1,500 for every “knowing and willful violation” of the TCPA.

Attorneys say that the class will be nationwide and damages may exceed $5 million. Other vacation clubs, including the following, may soon be investigated for similar illegal practices:

• Disney
• Four Seasons
• Hilton
• Hyatt
• Marriott
• Ritz-Carlton
• Starwood
• Westin
• Wyndham

What is a TCPA Violation Settlement?

Contact The Lyon Firm with any questions regarding telemarketing harassment. The law can be difficult to understand, and Mr. Lyon can help answer your critical questions.

Consumers have a right to privacy and when companies fail to respect that, they can held accountable and lawsuits may be the only way to curb their irritating marketing tactics.

Settlements in TCPA Violation cases compensate each plaintiffs, and fines can reach upwards of a thousand of dollars for each call, depending on circumstances and company intention.

The FCC restrictions listed on the government Web site states the following:

• Any residential telephone call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. is a TCPA violation.
• A call or text to a residential telephone number on the national do-not-call registry is a violation.
• As of 2013, prior express written consent is required for all autodialed calls, pre-recorded calls or texts
• Pre-recorded messages left on an answering service may also be illegal in some cases, and each call can be a violation

Artificial and pre-recorded voice telephone messages must identity the business, individual, or other entity that is responsible for initiating the call at the beginning of the message. During or after the voice or text message, the call must state the telephone number of that business, entity, or individual.

The number provided may not be a number that incurs long distance charges. It must also give the consumer an automated, interactive voice- and/or key press-activated opt-out mechanism for a a do-not-call request.

Telemarketing exceptions include the following:

• Calls that are manually dialed, without a pre-recorded message
• Calls made for emergency purposes
• Calls without a sales pitch or a commercial purpose
• Robocalls made by or on behalf of a tax-exempt nonprofit organization