Dynamic Accident Lawyers: OnStar Hit With TCPA Class Action for ‘Screeching’ Voicemails

A Minnesota man filed a TCPA class action lawsuit against OnStar, a vehicle safety technology company, for leaving what is referred to as “screeching” voicemails.

The lead plaintiff in this TCPA class action lawsuit, Daniel Duchene, alleges that he began receiving telephone calls from OnStar in August 2015. According to the lawsuit, these calls were made using an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS), or robocall system

Duchene could tell that an ATDS was used in these messages because when he answered, there was complete silence on the line followed by the call itself ending.

This nuisance was bad enough for Duchene, but the TCPA class action lawsuit further claims that when he did not answer these calls, OnStar instead left voicemail messages that consisted of screeching and beeping sounds.

According to the TCPA lawsuit, Duchene is not even an OnStar customer, and has never given OnStar his phone number or permission to contact him.

Duchene filed this TCPA class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and everyone else in his situation. This includes all U.S. Class Members who OnStar has placed an robocall phone call within the last four years, provided that they did not give OnStar written consent to call their number.

Based on the size of OnStar’s reach, the plaintiff believes that potential Class Members number in the thousands.

Telephone Consumer Protection Act

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) was intended to protect consumers from unwanted solicitation. This includes the placement of robocalls – the use of an automated dialing machine and/or a pre-recorded messages, including SMS text messages, to reach consumers. Nevertheless, many companies choose to perform these kinds of calls anyway.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), “Unwanted calls and texts are the number one complaint to the FCC…The FCC received more than 215,000 TCPA complaints in 2014.”

Simply knowing what TCPA violations are may allow consumers to collect a substantial amount of money per violation.

Actions by a company that are prohibited under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act generally include:

Calls placed to residences before 8 am or after 9 pm, local time
Calling consumers who specifically asked the company not to call them (i.e. consumers on the company’s do-not-call list)
Calling consumers on the National Do Not Call Registry
Failing to identify the person or entity on whose behalf the call is being made
Using an artificial voice or a recorded message
Using an automated dialing machine to place the call
Sending unsolicited advertising faxes

If you have received these kinds of calls or texts, and you believe them to be in violation of the TCPA, you may be eligible to receive compensation.

In order to be involved in a class action lawsuit against a company for TCPA violations, you will need to keep a good record of your experience with these messages and calls. Do not delete messages or phone records, and keep written record of violations.

The OnStar TCPA Class Action Lawsuit is Duchene v. OnStar, LLC, Case No. 1:15-cv-00935, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Join a Free TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were contacted on your cell phone by a company via an unsolicited text message (text spam) or prerecorded voice message (robocall), you may be eligible for compensation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

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