Maryland, Virginia among states suing Avid Telecom over illegal robocalls
Maryland, Virginia among states fighting back against robocalls
These days it may seem like Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much, but here’s something that’s actually bringing both sides together: their hatred of robocalls. Nearly every state attorney general in the country – including those in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – has joined together in filing a lawsuit against Avid Telecom. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal spoke to Virginia's AG about the suit.
These days, it may seem like Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on much, but here’s something that’s actually bringing both sides together: their hatred of robocalls.
Nearly every state attorney general in the country – including those in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – has joined together in filing a lawsuit against Avid Telecom, a company they said is "initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of people."
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said that includes nearly 235 million calls just to people in Virginia.
"That is the translation of on average for every man, woman, and child in Virginia, to be called 29 different times," Miyares told Fox 5.
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The lawsuit also claims that Avid has "sent or transmitted scam calls about social security administration scams, Medicare scams, auto warranty scams, amazon scams, DirecTV scams, credit card interest rate reduction scams, and employment scams."
"It sends a message throughout the entire industry," Miyares said of the lawsuit. "When you’re violating our laws, when you’re harassing Virginians, you’re gonna have an attorney general that takes you to court."
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The company, meanwhile, is firing back.
"Avid Telecom is aware of the lawsuit filed by the consortium of Attorneys’ General," a spokesperson said in a statement. "The complaint is predicated on factual allegations that the Attorneys’ General know, or should know, cannot be sustained as a matter of fact and which do not support the legal claims presented. Contrary to the allegations in the complaint, Avid Telecom operates in a manner that is compliant with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations. The company has never been found by any court or regulatory authority to have transmitted unlawful traffic and it is prepared to meet with the Attorneys General, as it has on many occasions in the past, to further demonstrate its good faith and lawful conduct. In this context, the company is disappointed that the Attorneys’ General chose not to communicate their concerns directly before filing the lawsuit. While the company always prefers to work with regulators and law enforcement to address issues of concern, as necessary, the company will defend itself vigorously and vindicate its rights and reputation through the legal process."