In July, an Illinois federal court approved a preliminary TCPA class action settlement between American Express and consumers who accused the company of using illegal debt collection methods including telemarketing contact through consumer cell phones.
The Honorable John Z. Lee presided over the case. According to the settlement agreement, the first preliminary approval was for an $8.25 million settlement for the 798,000 class action members who were receiving the automated telemarketing calls from AmEx. The second was a $1 million settlement involving 3,200 class action members accusing AmEx of using a third party collector to make automated calls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
AmEx argued against the allegations, claiming that they had consent for all calls made and that the rulings by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defining automatic telephone dialing system would not be upheld in court. They also claimed that various Telemarketing Class Members were subject to arbitration instead of a lawsuit and that the class could not be certified due to a number of issues.
Under the TCPA, consumers are protected from various tactics utilized by debt collectors to recover debts. If the rights of the consumers are violated, they may be able to take legal action to pursue compensation. This is when it is beneficial to hire a skilled Chicago consumer lawyer to help navigate complex claims.
At Atlas Consumer Law, our team is ready to help pursue compensation on behalf of consumers whose rights have been violated. If you suspect that your rights under the TCPA have been violated, we encourage you to call our firm today.