Other LanguagesSEATTLE -- Attorney General Christine Gregoire today filed a lawsuit against Tri-Star Marketing of Everett for illegally sending junk faxes across the country.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, names Tri-Star Marketing and its president and chief executive officer Dary G. Riedlinger. The lawsuit alleges the company faxed unsolicited advertisements in violation of the state’s Consumer Protection Act and the federal Telecommunications Act.
"Junk faxes are a leading cause of consumer complaints because they shift advertising costs onto recipients, forcing them to waste time and resources that would otherwise be used to serve their clients and conduct legitimate business communications," said Gregoire. "Despite repeated warnings to stop this illegal practice, Tri-Star continued to send out junk faxes."
The lawsuit also contends the company violated the FCC’s restrictions and rules against telephone solicitations by failing to include a date, business name and telephone number of the sending machine on the faxed pages. The FCC in July issued a citation against the company for violating its rules.
The lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting the company from sending unsolicited faxes and damages of up to $500 per violation as allowed by the federal law.
The State of Arkansas is a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit. Under Arkansas law the company could be held liable for an award equal to three times the amount of damages if a court finds they willfully and knowingly violated the law.
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