Telemarketing is a form of marketing from an era long gone. The world has simply become too digitized and fast paced for people to feel anything beyond mild annoyance at the prospect of a phone call, especially one that tries to sell you something you likely don’t need. Health insurance provider, UnitedHealthCare, is facing a $2.5 million settlement payout as a result of alleged unauthorized telemarketing calls. This class action lawsuit will affect 12,00 people.
Lawsuit details
The insurance provider is currently embroiled in a class action lawsuit impacting 12,000 people. The suit alleges UnitedHealthcare made unauthorized telemarketing calls in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). This lawsuit highlights the importance of consumer rights and privacy.
Any client of the company who believes that they are a class action member must ensure their claims are submitted latest by April 15 if they wish to receive their portion of the settlement.
The lead plaintiff, Frantz Samson, is proposed to receive a $20,000 service award for his role in the litigation. As such, the final amount distributed to claimants could be affected once legal fees and other costs are first paid off. Additionally, the attorneys representing the class will receive a portion of the settlement fund as compensation for their services, approximately one-third, or about $833,333.
Christopher E. Roberts, class action attorney at Butsch Roberts & Associates LLC, stated that “this settlement was for a “wrong number” class of just over 12,000 people. This means that these calls may have possibly been to a phone number of a former United Healthcare customer, a misdialed number, or to a phone number that belonged to someone other than [the] intended recipient of the call.”
Who’s eligible and how much can you claim?
As per the settlement agreement, each eligible class member could receive between $350 and $1,000. However, this is just an estimation and official payments are dependent on the number of valid claims submitted.
Top Class Actions reported that, per the class council, class members could receive over $90 each if every member applies.
Any individual who received an unauthorized telemarketing calls from UnitedHealthcare between January 9, 2015, and January 9, 2019 is considered eligible and can claim a settlement payout. There is, however, a slight caveat to the eligibility in that members had to not have consented to receive these calls or explicitly asked not to be called again. Members might also have to submit proof of receiving these calls to file a claim.
A list of individuals who are eligible to receive notice of the settlement via email or postal mail will be compiled by the Settlement Administrator so as to ensure all claimants are timeously contacted as the lawsuit progresses. A settlement ID and password should be provided to access the settlement website.
How to file your claim
NewsWeek has outlined the claiming process as follows:
Obtain a claim form.
Class members must fill out a valid claim form, which is available on the official settlement website or attached to the postcard notice. As noted, a settlement ID and password are needed to access the site.
Fill out the form with the required information.
When filling out the form, claimants need to provide their full name, address and the phone number that received the unauthorized calls to verify eligibility.
Submit the claim.
Claims can be submitted either online through the official settlement website or mailed to the address provided on the form. Claims must be filed online or postmarked no later than April 15, 2025.
If you have any questions about eligibility or how to file a claim, you can call (833) 314-1406, toll-free, or email [email protected].
A hearing scheduled for June 20 will determine the final approval of the settlement with settlements being paid out within 30 days of approval.