The pro-Donald Trump PAC “Liberty Action Group” was sued in federal court last week in a class action complaint alleging that the group robocalled thousands of people without their consent.
In the complaint, plaintiff Erik Trimble alleges that the Liberty Action PAC illegally placed automated calls to his cell phone, causing him and, he alleges, thousands of others, to incur unwanted charges.
The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California.
Trimble, who says that he had not given prior consent to receive the robocalls (and even at one point asked the PAC to stop calling), claims that he and the others should be compensated up to $1,500. The complaint claims that because of the number of people the PAC illegally called, the total damages exceed $5 million.
The listed contact for the PAC on FEC records, Josiah Cammer—a 24-year-old man who appears to have no prior political experience—and Robert Reyes of Modern Media Group LLC, did not return requests for comment on the lawsuit.
The case has been assigned to Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu.
BuzzFeed News reported last week Liberty Action Group has raised almost $800,000 dollars, according to FEC records, but those records reveal little about where money is being spent and to whom it is going. One of the group’s largest expenditures—more than $450,000—is for an unspecified “media consultant.” No address or purposes is given on any of the disbursements at all from the group in federal filings, which prompted a letter from the FEC asking for more information. Despite FEC records showing a massive amount being spent radio ads and robocalls, the group has failed to note any money spent on independent expenditures.
BuzzFeed News reported on Tuesday that a Democratic PAC, Progressive Priorities PAC, is run by the same set of individuals, according to records and sources. On Thursday, a representative for Dr. Ben Carson said Liberty Action Group had used his name without permission. Carson's name has since been removed.
The complaint can be read below:
