The popular vehicle-for-hire company Uber is being sued for allegedly sending customers’ unwanted text message to their cell phones.
Maria Vergara filed the lawsuit Aug. 7 in United States District Court in Illinois against the transportation company claiming the text messages violated federal law. The company offers taxi-like transportation services all through its app that customers access through their smartphones.
The lawsuit claims the messages violate statutory and privacy laws, and are considered “wireless spam.”
“(Uber) has violated individuals’ statutory and privacy rights and has caused individuals actual harm, not only because individuals were subjected to the aggravation and invasion of privacy that necessarily accompanies wireless spam, but also because individuals frequently have to pay their cell phone service providers for the receipt of such wireless spam,” according to the lawsuit.
Specifically, the lawsuit said the text messages violate the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
The lawsuit is seeking class status for those who received the text messages from Uber. Vergara is also seeking an unspecified amount in damages plus court costs.
Vergara is represented by Evan M. Meyers, Myles McGuire and Eugene Y. Turin of McGuire Law, P.C. in Chicago.
United States District Court Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division case number 1:15-cv-06942