Class action filed 10 days after alleged violation of 'Automatic Telephone Dialers Act'

Ten days after an alleged violation of the Illinois Automatic Telephone Dialers Act, an Edwardsville law firm has filed a putative class action suit claiming a telemarketer thwarted a caller ID system by concealing its true identity.

The Law Office of Shari L. Murphy claims it received one or more prerecorded phone calls from defendant CallerID4U on Oct. 21. However, when the defendant called the law office, it failed to reveal its true identity on the caller ID screen, according to the complaint filed Oct. 31 in Madison County Circuit Court.

Peter J. Maag and Thomas G. Maag of Maag Law Firm in Wood River represents the plaintiff.

The action is in violation of a state statute which requires that all autodialers correctly identify themselves on caller IDs, the complaint says.

"As a direct and proximate result of Defendant's action, Plaintiff sustained damages, including but not limited to lost productivity time and wages paid to financially compensated employees who were diverted from being gainfully employed, and instead dealing with robotic telephone calls," the suit states.

In its complaint, the law office seeks a judgment of more than $50,000, plus treble damages, costs and other relief the court deems just.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 11-L-1128.