Request Legal Help Now - Free

Advertisement
LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

Minnesota Consumer Sues Capital One over 128 Bill Collector Robocalls to Cellular Phone

. By

TCPA protects wireless customers from bill collector harassment.

Chaska, MNBy the middle of 2017, after more than 128 bill collector harassment calls Kristie Drigger had had enough. She sued Capital One Bank in Minnesota District Court, seeking at least $1,500 per telephone call made in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

The underlying facts of her lawsuit suggest an apparent willfulness with which big banks, like Capital One, continue to violate the requirements of TCPA. Nonetheless, challenges to the FCC’s 2015 Order dealing with the standards for consent and revocation, now pending in the DC Circuit Court may complicate the situation for plaintiffs in nuisance call lawsuits of the future.

Protection from illegal robocalls


The TCPA and related laws bar most autodialed or prerecorded calls, texts and faxes made without prior express consent. But many people are not aware that they have consented – the agreement may be buried in a loan document or may be inferred, in a retail situation, from an agreement to receive text messages about discounts or sales. The situation is particularly painful for consumers with wireless phones if they are charged for incoming calls.

In her complaint, Kristie Drigger alleges that (whatever agreements she had previously made, intentional or not) she explicitly revoked her consent to receive autodialer calls from Capital One in March 2016. In the year that followed, she received at least 128 collection calls. She believed that they were automatically dialed for two reasons: they were very frequent and she often had the experience of hearing “dead air” before a human voice weighed in.

If proved at trial, these facts would point to a clear violation of law.

All the traffic will bear


A quick review of bank and retailer TCPA complaints suggests that Kristie Drigger’s situation is not unique. Almost 20 years ago, the Minnesota Attorney General sued US Bancorp for selling customer account information to MemberWorks, a telemarketing company. Since then, the Minnesota Attorney General has published a fact sheet designed to protect consumers from similar abuses.

The federal situation is also very much in flux. In 2017, several courts held that a recipient of an autodialed call may not revoke consent where consent was included as a term in the underlying contract between the recipient and the company placing the calls. The FCC is now under the leadership of new Chairman, Ajit Pai. Their posture is regarded as business friendly, but it is unclear what steps the FCC may take.

READ ABOUT BILL COLLECTOR LAWSUITS

Bill Collector Legal Help

If you or a loved one have suffered losses in this case, please click the link below and your complaint will be sent to an internet/technology lawyer who may evaluate your Bill Collector claim at no cost or obligation.

READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
I had 2 credit cards from Capital One for years & always paid on time. However in 2011 I became disabled but continued to pay until 2012 when I filed for disability. I started receiving robo calls in 2015 & they contend until 2017. I started receiving my disability in October 2016 but by then my balances had almost doubled. They filed a lawsuit against me, however later dropped it when I filed my answer.

Posted by

on
Capitol One also employs a predatory law firm in Minnesota Who have twice tried to steal my Social security money from my bank account after being sent proof of my income and fully knowing they can't garnish SS benefits. This is clearly harassment of a disabled elderly person.

ADD YOUR COMMENT ON THIS STORY

Please read our comment guidelines before posting.


Note: Your name will be published with your comment.


Your email will only be used if a response is needed.

Are you the defendant or a subject matter expert on this topic with an opposing viewpoint? We'd love to hear your comments here as well, or if you'd like to contact us for an interview please submit your details here.


Click to learn more about LawyersandSettlements.com

Request Legal Help Now! - Free