If you received a telemarketing call from DISH Network sometime in 2010 or 2011 you could be eligible for a $1200 pay out. Yes, you read that right: $1200. DISH Network recently settled a $61 million class-action lawsuit over sales pitches to U.S. residents on the Do Not Call Registry.
According to USA Today, Thomas Krakauer sued the network for making telemarketing calls to his number even though his number was on the do-not-call list. That’s a clear violation of Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and since Thomas was not the only victim the lawsuit quickly turned into a class action suit. In total, the lawsuit affected over 18,000 different telephone numbers.
At first, the suit was settled for $400 per person. However, the judge then found out that not only did DISH call these numbers, but they did it “willfully and knowingly” against the law. As a result, the judge ordered that the reparations to victims be tripled to $1200 a person.
John W. Barrett, an attorney with Bailey Glasser, told CBS News he’s tried to contact people about their eligibility for the $1,200. Unfortunately, most people think that he himself is a telemarketer and the attorney has having trouble convincing people to claim their money.
This story has yet another twist, however, as DISH Network is appealing the ruling. The company claims that an outside contractor, that has since shut down, was responsible for the calls. According to CBS News, “these calls violated Dish’s express instructions to the contractor.”.
It is worth noting that this lawsuit is in addition to a $280 million penalty stemming from a government case against DISH for this same mistake.
Appeals take time, so the final outcome of this lawsuit is still in question. However, if you were a victim of these calls in 2010 or 2011, you should reach out to claim your money. A website has been setup to allow anyone to see if there number was one of those victimized. You can check to see if you are eligible for the $1200 here: https://kccsecure.com/dishclassaction-Lookup/Home/PhoneForm
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dish-network-do-not-call-lawsuit-eligible-to-collect-1200-per-call/
