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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
UNIT HACKED FOR YEARS NEED HELP WITH HOME TECT , NO FOREIGN 20 YEAR CUSTEOMER
coustomer bundle , direct t v , u verse for 30 years unit hacked foreign tect blocked from e mail sign in ccnt submit complaint need help no progress on many phone calls
Need me better in this canceled my account October of 2021 was continuously billed with AT&T for over 8 months tolling amount of about $800 tried calling them several times and always seem to be my problem that I didn’t cancel it if I turn my box in how am I still using the equipment I keep telling them been going round and round for months and months and frustration especially for a veteran he has heart problems and having to get upset talking to people over an hour on the phone every time explaining why they get screwed up please add my name to this list. Veteran Jason. USN .
I’m in Nevada and they have fraudulently charged me now a total of $511. For directv stream that I never signed up for. I went to the att store and the sales lady. Signed me up without my consnt and even tho the account was supposedly closed and refunded they still charge me random amounts whenever they feel like it. I even closed that card but since I still have the cellphone with att once I paid my bill they got the number again and just charged me $110 today. for a directv stream account i never ever agreed to. This is totally fraud and I do not know what to do. I have a contract with att for the cellphone but have no way to pay it now because I can’t trust them with the credit card number anymore so not even sure what to do at this point.
Please add me.
I just noticed today that DirecTV and ATT have been charging me for the same tv service!
Add me
Wow! I was on the phone with their “Loyalty” care team only to have them transfer me to Fraud & their mailbox is full. They have been charging me $133 for last 18 months without my consent.
Where can I join the lawsuit?
Please send me information. They have been charging me for direct tv stream for months around 100 a month taken out automatically. ONTOP of what I already paid and agree to for my att bill. I just now noticed these charges. They never asked I never agreed to pay that or sign up for that. I would never agree to that because I can’t afford that. I have called several times and they refuse to refund me any amount and continue to treat me like I’m less than human.
Add me ATT&T is a rip off
Please add me to the law suit. I signed up for AT&T internet back in May at my new apartment. I found out today that they were charging me for DirectTV without my knowledge or consent. They also claimed that I had a device delivered to the billing address on my card (which is different than the service installation of the internet) and said they could not refund me the installment fee because it said on there end it was delivered. I checked with my mom who lives at that address and we NEVER RECEIVED OR REQUESTED ANYTHING. The device they mention is nonexistent. How can they do this? Somebody needs to do something because it is not right.