FORT LAUDERDALE – A Fort Lauderdale man is suing over claims that a debt collector made repetitious and invasive automated calls to his cell phone for a debt owed by another person.
Eric Reddick filed suit Jan. 13 in the Fort Lauderdale Division of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Midland Credit Management Inc., a Kansas corporation with a principal place of business in San Diego.
In January 2014, the plaintiff claims, the defendant began calling him with an automatic telephone dialing system in an attempt to collect a debt that belonged to another person. Even though the plaintiff informed the defendant it was calling the wrong person, the calls persisted, the suit says.
Not only did the defendant not have permission to call the plaintiff, but the defendant's calls were unwanted and invaded his privacy, the lawsuit alleges.
Furthermore, the suit says, the defendant does not have the legal right to continue calling a telephone number once it has lapsed and been reassigned.
The plaintiff is seeking redress under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. He also seeks a trial by jury.
The plaintiff wants an order preventing the defendant from placing further telephone calls to his cell phone, a judgment against the defendant for statutory damages for each phone call made in violation of the law, and other equitable relief the court deems appropriate. He is represented by John Murray of the Murray Law Firm PA of Coral Gables.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Division, Case number 16-cv-60080-BB