Legal News

Sprint hopes group suit rejection is a Pre-cursor to more decisions in its favor

By Richard Binder

Sprint Nextel Corp. won't face a nationwide class-action lawsuit over claims it overcharged data-card customers for taxes and refused to issue refunds.  U.S. Judge Robert Bryan concluded Sprint customers couldn?t show that being allowed to press claims about wireless-network card charges as a group would insure the case would be handled efficiently. Consumers contend Sprint officials improperly tacked on taxes and surcharges to their bills.

A consumer-advocacy accused Sprint of charging additional fees for text messages sent to customers who bought network cards to access the Internet. Although the company assigned card buyers a phone number, the cards are intended to process data transmissions and have no keypad, screen or other way to alert customers who receive calls or messages, the group said in the suit.

A California nonprofit group sued Sprint in federal court in San Diego in 2007 over the tax charges. Bryan, who is in Tacoma, Washington, took over the case after his counterparts in San Diego recused themselves in April 2008, according to court filings.

Full story here.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on June 25, 2009 (boomark / email).