Dish has been ordered to pay $280 million in fines to the federal government and four states for making robocalls to consumers on do-not-call lists.
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The Federal Trade Commission, and the states of California, Illinois, Ohio and North Carolina, sued Dish in 2009, charging the satcaster with making millions of unwanted calls to potential subscribers.
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U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough ruled Monday in favor of the plaintiffs, imposing the fines and instituting a 20-year supervision of Dish’s telemarketing practices to ensure the illegal calls don’t happen again
“The evidence supports the conclusion that the pressure needs to be maintained to keep Dish’s marketing personnel from reverting to their practice of trying to get around the rules,” Myerscough wrote.
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Dish told Reuters yesterday that it will appeal the ruling. The satellite TV service has previously said the robocalls were made by third-party contractors without its knowledge.
But Judge Myerscough disputed that claim in her order, saying Dish was aware that the contractors were making the illegal calls.
Bloomberg reports that the $280 million fine was the largest ever in a telemarketing case.
— Phillip Swann
