Hartford Partner, Tom Blatchley, with the assistance of Washington, D.C. Partner, Brian Scotti, secured a complete dismissal of all claims (17 counts) with prejudice for the firm's energy company client in the District of Maryland.
The plaintiff, a disbarred attorney and serial Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA") litigant with countless TCPA actions under his belt, sued the defendant-client asserting various violations of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act and Maryland Telephone Consumer Protection Act on the basis of multiple calls allegedly made by the defendant to the plaintiff’s landline in 2019. Blatchley and Scotti swiftly removed the action to Federal Court. Through savvy lawyering and research, including finding the plaintiff’s alleged home phone number listed on a PACER docket as his law firm’s business line, Blatchley and Scotti filed a motion to dismiss all seventeen counts of the plaintiff’s Complaint under various legal theories. The plaintiff vigorously opposed the motion, filing a motion to strike and an opposition brief, and a litany of other pleadings.
In a very well-reasoned and lengthy 16-page decision, federal District Court Judge Richard D. Bennett granted Defendant’s motion to dismiss, dismissed the plaintiff’s Complaint with prejudice, and ordered closure of the case.
A special “thank you” to Natasha Hayden Reid (paralegal in the Washington, D.C. office) and Mary Joyce Cusano (administrative assistant in the Hartford office) for their invaluable assistance. This case is another shining example of the firm’s office cross collaboration and the benefits of the firm’s 50-state initiative.