Viacom Reaches Settlement on SMS Spam Lawsuit
Viacom is bringing closure to an SMS-spam lawsuit that was filed last May.
The company has agreed to pay Tennessee resident Eric Mock $3,000. Mock claims Viacom violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by spamming her mobile phone with ads promoting various MTV programs.
Mock alleged in her complaint that she provided her cell phone number to Viacom in 2011, in response to an ad urging people to vote via text for their favorite Video Music Awards nominees. Within one month of voting, Mock allegedly received three text messages from Viacom promoting TV shows like “Real World: San Diego” and “Jersey Shore.”
MediaPost confirmed Tuesday that the settlement agreement was filed last month with U.S. District Court Judge Todd Campbell.
As part of the settlement, Viacom is required to “confirm that its current text-messaging provider belongs to the Mobile Marketing Association.”
In the end, Mock’s attorneys had more to gain to from the settlement than Mock. According to the published report, Viacom will pay Mock’s lawyer $52,000 in fees.
At no time has Viacom admitted to violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. However, the company has since switched its text-messaging vendor.
