PHOENIX — Attorneys common throughout the U.S. joined in a lawsuit towards a telecommunications firm accused of creating greater than 7.5 billion robocalls to folks on the nationwide Do Not Call Registry.
The 141-page lawsuit was filed within the U.S. District Court in Phoenix towards Avid Telecom, its proprietor Michael D. Lansky and firm vice chairman Stacey S. Reeves. It seeks a jury trial to find out damages.
The lawsuit arises from the nationwide, bipartisan Anti-Robocall Multistate Litigation Task Force of 51 attorneys common and the District of Columbia.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes mentioned almost 197 million of the robocalls had been made to Arizona telephone numbers between December 2018 and January 2023.
“Every day, countless Arizona consumers are harassed and annoyed by a relentless barrage of unwanted robocalls — and in some instances these illegal calls threaten consumers with lawsuits and arrest,” Mayes mentioned in a press release. “More disturbingly, many of these calls are scams designed to pressure frightened consumers, often senior citizens, into handing over their hard-earned money.”
The lawsuit mentioned Avid Telecom used spoofed or invalid caller ID numbers, together with greater than 8.4 million calls that gave the impression to be coming from authorities and regulation enforcement companies in addition to personal corporations.
The firm additionally allegedly despatched or transmitted rip-off calls in regards to the Social Security Administration, Medicare, Amazon and DirecTV, in addition to auto warranties, employment and bank card rate of interest reductions.
“Americans are sick and tired of their phones ringing off the hook with fraudulent robocalls,” New York Attorney General Letitia James mentioned in a press release. “Seniors and vulnerable consumers have been scammed out of millions because of these illegal robocalls.”
The lawsuit alleges Lansky and Reeves violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule and different federal and state telemarketing and shopper legal guidelines.
“Contrary to the allegations in the complaint, Avid Telecom operates in a manner that is compliant with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations,” mentioned Neil Ende, the corporate’s outdoors authorized counsel.
“In this context, the company is disappointed that the attorneys’ general chose not to communicate their concerns directly before filing the lawsuit,” Ende added. “While the company always prefers to work with regulators and law enforcement to address issues of concern, as necessary, the company will defend itself vigorously and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”