A federal judge preliminarily approved another substantial settlement in a class action lawsuit against Chase Bank USA under which Chase Bank USA will pay $34 million. The class action was originally filed on July 12, 2012 and alleged that Chase Bank USA violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) by placing calls to consumers’ cell phones without their prior consent. Specifically, the plaintiffs alleged that Chase Bank USA used an automated dialing service with an “artificial or prerecorded voice” or sent text messages in order to collect upon a debt alleged to be owed.
In 1991, Congress enacted the TCPA in response to a growing number of consumer complaints regarding certain telemarketing practices. The TCPA makes it unlawful to make any calls, send any text messages, and/or send any faxes to a person or business, for commercial reasons, without that person’s express written consent. Each recipient of an unlawful call, text message, and/or fax may receive a statutory penalty of at least $500 (up to $1,500) for each violation.
The lawyers of Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP have begun representing everyday people who have faced unwanted, endless telemarketing calls at their home, business, and/or on their mobile devices. If you are receiving unwanted telemarketing calls and want to stop them as soon as possible, then please call the lawyers of Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, (212) 300-0375, to schedule a free consultation. For more information about the TCPA please visit www.stoptelemarketingcalls.com.