Zoeller
INDIANAPOLIS (Legal Newsline) - Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced on Monday that his office will defend the state's Autodialer Law even if the U.S. Supreme Court decides to consider the case.
In December, the Indiana Supreme Court upheld the state's Autodialer law banning robo-calls to state residents. The decision also determined that the law is not in violation of free speech.
FreeEats.com contested the state law's constitutionality after making nearly 400,000 robo-calls to Hoosiers during a congressional campaign in 2006.
"Indiana's strict telephone privacy law protects consumers from unwanted calls and that's a protection the attorney general's office is committed to defending," Zoeller said. "It's clear Hoosiers are receiving more and more unsolicited calls - in part because technology is outpacing the ability to crackdown on violators. Our office will also continue to pursue solutions to help curb the number of unwanted calls consumers are receiving."
Under the terms of the law, telemarketers may only make automated calls to households if a live operator first obtains the permission of the consumer or if the recipient opts into receiving said calls. Telemarketers considered under the law include those calling on behalf of political groups and campaigns.
While the U.S. Supreme Court receives approximately 10,000 petitions for a writ of certiorari annually, only 75 to 80 cases are granted an oral argument to be heard by the court.