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AT&T DirecTV Now Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: The Ninth Circuit revived a class action lawsuit lodged against AT&T.
- Why: The plaintiff claimed AT&T broke several California laws by charging unknowing customers for its DirectTV Now streaming service.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was originally filed in California federal court.
AT&T will face revived class action claims that it charges its customers for DirecTV Now streaming service without their permission under a recent ruling issued by a panel of Ninth Circuit judges.
The panel disagreed with the lower courts assertion that arbitration for the class action lawsuit was unenforceable under California law.
Lead plaintiff David Cotrell argues AT&T violated several California laws — including the California Unfair Competition Law — by charging customers for DirecTV Now streaming service without their knowledge or consent.
Cotrell is asking that AT&T inform and stop charging unknowing and nonconsenting customers for its streaming service, and to account for all the money the company received from doing so.
The Ninth Circuit said that, since the relief would only affect AT&T customers, it would not be considered public and is allowed.
The lower court had pointed to legal precedent in determining AT&T’s arbitration agreement with consumers kept them from being able to seek public injunctive relief.
AT&T Class Action Green Lit Using Comcast Ruling
The Ninth Circuit cited a similar case — Hodges v. Comcast Cable Communications — while ruling instead that seeking relief was acceptable so long as it was just for AT&T consumers and not all members of the general public.
“The district court determined that Cotrell sought public injunctive relief, so it declined to compel arbitration,” the panel said. “Whatever we might think of that conclusion if we were to make our own assessment of California law, it is foreclosed by our intervening decision in Hodges.”
Hodges had asked that Comcast not be allowed to use customers’ viewing preferences to create targeted ads, and, since the relief would only affect Comcast customers, the Ninth Circuit determined it did not trigger a California law which would block such relief.
Earlier this year, a Florida man lodged a class action accusing AT&T of offering Reward Cards worth up to $400 to consumers who switch to its services, but then never sending the cards or sending them so close to their expiration date that they become unusable.
Did AT&T charge you for its DirectTV Now streaming service without your knowledge or consent? Let us know in the comments!
The plaintiff is represented by Jeffrey Lewis, Benjamin Blystad Gould and Maxwell Holt Goins of Keller Rohrback LLP.
The AT&T DirecTV Now Class Action Lawsuit is Cottrell. v. AT&T Inc., et al., Case No. 3:19-cv-07672, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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662 thoughts onAT&T Must Face Class Action Over DirecTV Streaming Charges, Ninth Circuit Rules
This happened to me also they charged me $110 a month for over a year using a older charge card I did not realize was still active an still had my bank auto pay..when I figured it out I canceled an asked for refund received only a 3 month refund! Is there a lawsuit going against them?
This happened to me also they charged me $110 a month for over a year using a older charge card I did not realize was still active an still had my bank auto pay..when I figured it out I canceled an asked for refund received only a 3 month refund! Is there a lawsuit going against them?
My Direct TV Streaming was added May, 2018. I have paid thousands of dollars for a subscription I did not authorize. After playing ping-pong between AT&T and Direct TV Billing for weeks, I finally spoke with someone who authorized a three month refund. I declined, asking for a year refund. I asked to stop the illegal billing. So, I was read a statement agreeing to not be reimbursed for services received or not received. I declined. So, today’s email from Direct TV, contains refunds for six months automatically sent to my credit card. I was asking for a year. Perhaps I should ask for four years of refunds. Should I seek representation? This is really time consuming and I feel victimized. ADD ME!
Add Me.
please add me
Include me
AT&T offered to make my wireless unlimited again if I bundled with direct tv. I was also supposed to have a combined bill and be receiving $50 per month off the wireless portion. Since 2017. I called twice. Same they say there’s nothing they can do for me. They gave me a $100 voucher which was applied to my bill once. I called again a week later they did the same thing only this time when my bill came out the $100 voucher was not applied. Big surprise. They need to be fined out the A$$ for the BS. They’re doing this to millions of ppl. I asked the woman at the call center I told her all the calls are recorded they should be archived. She said I’d have to subpoena them for it…of course the proof of their guilt.
Got a new phone to replace my lost one recently. Sneaky guys got me to sign a contract for their shitty tv service and charged me for two months without me knowing. Of course they never mentioned installation or anything. Typical cons
I was lured in with internet and direct TV from att for 110 a month now it is 348 per month and I have no idea why the charges are so high. The bill makes no sense. I can not afford that much per month
We were lured in with a promise of a $148 per month flat rate for bundled services. We pay $201.
I’m 82 years old and I can’t afford it. I’m so mad I filed a complaint with the BBB and called my local tv station!