Pa. Reaches Robocall Settlement With 5 N.Y. Telemarketing Entities

Pennsylvania reached “a settlement in principle” with five New York City telemarketing entities to resolve all claims that they inundated Pennsylvania consumers with hundreds of thousands of unwanted robocalls (see 2211030056), said their joint status report Monday (docket 2:22-cv-01551) in U.S. District Court for Western Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The parties “are coordinating on finalizing documentation” of the settlement for submission to the court, said the joint filing. Then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D) brought the action Nov. 2, and the case thereafter had multiple deadline extensions as the parties worked toward a settlement. Shapiro was sworn in Jan. 17 as Pennsylvania governor. Michelle Henry (D) is Shapiro’s AG successor. The complaint alleged violations of the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, plus state and federal unfair competition laws, but not the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, because the five Manhattan entities weren’t alleged to have placed the calls themselves.