Lawyer Sues Sallie Mae Over ‘Unrelenting’ Student Loan Robocalls
A Seattle lawyer who says Sallie Mae harassed him with “unrelenting” automated collection calls is suing for at least $500 in damages for each unwanted contact.
Lawyer Mark Arthur is seeking class action status for the suit, filed in federal district court in Seattle, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The alleged calls to his cell phone were made after Arthur fell behind on loans for his education at the Seattle University School of Law.
Arthur claims the calls made on behalf of the SLM Corp., also known as Sallie Mae, violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The suit (PDF posted by the Puget Sound Business Journal) estimates the number of potential class members to be in the tens of thousands. The action seeks damages of $500 for each unwanted call, trebled to $1,500 because the alleged violations were knowing and willful.
“Sallie Mae harassed me with dozens of unwanted calls on my cell phone, including calls that woke me up at all hours of the night and often within hours of each other,” Arthur said in a statement published by the Business Journal. “These unrelenting calls unfortunately corresponded with a time in my life that required great attention to family issues.”
