As a result of legal pressure from multiple class action lawsuits for Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) violations, Medicredit, Inc. agreed to settle out of court for $5 million. Medicredit is a debt collector accused of making unwanted, pre-recorded calls to the cell phones of over 600,000 consumers. The company allegedly used a predictive dialer to place these calls without consumer consent. Multiple class action suits also state that the individuals did not provide their phone numbers to Medicredit.
Those who received calls to their cell phones from Medicredit between July 2015 and October 2016 and from NPAS, Inc. from April 2012 to October 2016 are eligible Class Members. The two major class action cases that led to the settlement are Martinez v. Medicredit, Inc. and Hornberger v. Medicredit, Inc. In both cases, Defendants alleged that they were subjected to unwanted robocalls from the debt collection company. Medicredit denied all allegations of illegal activity but chose to settle the lawsuit to avoid potentially costly and lengthy litigation.
The estimated award for each Class Member is $82. That number is subject to change depending on the number of people who submit timely and valid claims. Class Members can choose to either file a claim, submit an exclusion or file an objection, but they must do so before March 30, 2018. The Final approval hearing will take place on May 15, 2018.
In this case, the debt collector violated the TCPA by placing robocalls to individuals without their consent, but this is just one of the many ways debt collectors break the law. Many companies like banks, collection companies, telemarketers, and creditors often violate the TCPA by:
The Florida TCPA and FDCPA attorneys at The Law Offices of Jibrael S. Hindi are here to ensure that your consumer rights are protected. You may be eligible for up to $1,500 for each TCPA violation and $1,000 per FDCPA violation. We are fully aware of the unlawful practices many entities use to their advantage. Put a stop to the unwanted calls today! Contact us at 844-JIBRAEL for a free case evaluation. You owe us nothing until you get paid!