$1.7M Chicago Tribune Publishing Class Action Settlement Over Spoof Caller IDs Gets Green Light

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Chicago Tribune Publishing TCPA Class Action Settlement Overview:

• Who: Tribune Publishing Co. has reached a deal with thousands of consumers who say they got calls from the company despite their numbers being on the Do Not Call Registry.
• Why: The publisher allegedly used fake caller ID numbers to conceal where it was calling from. It has agreed to pay $1.7 million to settle the claims.
• Where: The Class is nationwide

More than 28,000 people with names on the Do Not Call Registry could soon be getting checks in the mail, after a$1.7 million dollar settlement with Tribune Publishing, the publisher of the Chicago Tribune, was given the green light by an Illinois federal judge.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly gave his preliminary approval Nov. 22 to the settlement between Tribune and consumers who say they got calls from the company that breached the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).

Lead Plaintiff George Moore says the company used spoof caller IDs to make newspaper delivery service marketing calls with people who had already told it not to call them. The calls were allegedly made by Tribune’s telemarketing vendor, Consumer Engagement Services LLC (CES), between Dec. 11, 2017 and April 15, 2021. 

According to CES records, there were 28,412 unique phone numbers it called at least twice in a 12 month period with no established or recent business relationship to justify the call. 

Those who are eligible will not have to do anything. If they have an identifiable address, they will receive about $30 each. 

Tribune has also agreed to modify its practices to help avoid future violations, the judge noted in the settlement agreement.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs are expected to seek $566,666 in fees, or one-third of the settlement fund. The final approval hearing will be held March 24.

In 2013, over 41,000 Chicago Tribune customers got $6.50 each after a class action lawsuit settlement resolved claims the newspaper illegally charged increased rates to subscribers’ credit and debit cards. 

Is your number on the Do Not Call Registry? Let us know your experience with unwanted marketing calls in the comments. 

The plaintiffs are represented by Alexander H. Burke and Daniel J. Marovitch of Burke Law Offices LLC.

The Tribune Publishing TCPA Class Action Lawsuit is Moore et al. v. Tribune Publishing Company, Case No. 1:20-cv-07666, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. 

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