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Lead Plaintiff Bernadine Sims alleges in the J.C. Penney class action lawsuit that the store shares its customers’ confidential credit card information with Stonebridge when they make catalog purchases over the phone. Stonebridge then pays a fee to J.C. Penney for every person who “willingly or unwillingly” enrolls in its Membership Loyalty Program.Sims alleges in the J.C. Penney class action lawsuit that Stonebridge deceptively enrolls consumers in recurring monthly membership programs without their consent by offering “free trials”and “fictitious rebate programs.”
These so-called “free trials,” however, are actually negative-option memberships, which means consumer must go through the hassle of canceling their memberships to avoid being repeatedly charged for a program they often do not even know they have “signed up” for. When consumers try to cancel their unwanted Stonebridge membership program, Stonebridge refuses to do so and continues charging them a recurring monthly fee. And when consumers try to use the “rebate programs,” they discover no such benefit exists.
“J.C. Penney has a vested interest in perpetuating and expanding the fraud that Defendant Stonebridge perpetrates on consumers” because the store gets a percentage of the money Stonebridge extracts from each of its victims, the class action lawsuit states.
The J.C. Penney Membership Loyalty Program class action lawsuit is seeking restitution and damages of more than $5 million for allegations of consumer fraud, deceptive trade, violations of the Automatic Contract Renewal Act and Electronic Funds Transfer Act, unjust enrichment, negligence, fraud by omission, and breach of contract.
.C. Penney (NASDAQ: JCP) is in cahoots with a deceptive marketing company, Stonebridge Benefit Services, that has a known track record of “deceptively and without authorization charge(ing) tens of thousands of consumers millions of dollars” for bogus membership programs,” according to a class action lawsuit filed in Cook County Chancery Court.
A copy of the J.C. Penney Stonebridge Membership Program Class Action Lawsuit can be read here.
The case is Bernadine Sims v. Stonebridge Benefit Services, Inc. and J.C. Penney Company, Inc., Case No. 11-ch-27100, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, Chancery Division.
Updated October 31st, 2011
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25 thoughts onJ.C. Penney Stonebridge Membership Program Class Action Lawsuit
Stonebridge jcpenny rewards credit card class action lawsuit compensation
I too have been paying monthly for life insurance thru Stonebridge-JCP. I just recently started looking for coverage benefits but haven’t received anything since 2010. I have been paying $42.00 monthly for years. If this is not legit, I need to cancel.