OCALA – A Marion County consumer alleges a debt collector called him 300 times after he requested that it stop calling him.
Walter Melim II filed a complaint on March 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division against State Farm Bank FSB alleging that the debt collector violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that in July 2016, he was subjected to harassment and abuse caused by defendant's barrage of calls to collect on an alleged credit card debt. The plaintiff holds State Farm Bank FSB responsible because the defendant allegedly called plaintiff with such frequency meant to abuse or harass, contacted plaintiff without prior express consent and unlawfully utilized an automatic dialer and automated voice.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendant; statutory, punitive and actual damages; costs; interest; attorney's fees; enjoinder from further violations and other relief the court may deem just. He is represented by Frank H. Kerney III of Morgan & Morgan PA in Tampa.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division Case number 5:17-cv-00118