Like many of you I receive numerous calls from political action committees purporting to represent police fire and military support organizations. I’ve had a couple that have called me that were definitely in violation of the TC PA because they used a Robo caller and did not contact me directly from their organization but instead used a telemarketing firm. I’m curious if anyone has any information about the practicality of suing the organization in small claims court for $1500 which is the allowable amount for these type of violations. One organization was in Virginia and the other one is in Sarasota Florida. I don’t necessarily want to travel to those jurisdictions to show up in court but I’ll do what I have to. Any feedback particularly from an attorney would be welcome. I have the address for both organizations so filing suit won’t be a problem. Logistics traveling from Tennessee would be a hassle.
I just discovered this post, when it was suggested as similar to a topic I was posting about. I’m not a lawyer, but I share the concerns about these “faux PACs” raking in big buck$ through many small contributions, and then spending very little on their stated causes.
The Daily Beast and OpenSecrets[dot]org have done some exposés of some of them, and they might have data showing what percentage of the funds the “PACs” take in go to political action, and how much goes to various “vendors.” It would be tough, but I think the trick would be to prove that they’re not really a PAC, and therefore get no exemptions under the TCPA to make robocalls.
William P. Barrett is a financial analyst who has written for Forbes since 1987, including a December 2022 article, “Give Smart: How To Avoid Fake Charities And Compare Real Ones.” He has a blog called “New to Las Vegas” in which he’s written about many of the scam PACs, and also noted that few of them comply with a Nevada law that requires them to register with the Nevada Secretary of State’s Office. Unfortunately, there is very little (or none, actually) enforcement of that law.
PM me if you want to brainstorm on this subject.