Washington Superior Court has issued a judgment in the civil lawsuit brought by Attorney General T.J. Donovan against Missouri-based Karabell Industries and its owner, Eli Karabell, for making repeated illegal telemarketing calls and harassing state legislators to pay exorbitant sums of money. The Consent Judgment, issued yesterday, resolves the Attorney General’s lawsuit by requiring the Defendants to cease all business and telemarketing activity in Vermont and refrain from contacting anyone in Vermont about any marketing, sales, offers, or otherwise.
“I am pleased to have reached a swift resolution,” said Attorney General Donovan in response to the court’s judgment. “My office will continue to monitor the matter to ensure that this telemarketing harassment stops.”
On March 25, 2022, the Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit seeking to stop the Defendants’ telemarketing harassment after numerous state legislators complained of receiving late-night phone calls from the Defendants who claimed to offer “government consulting services.” The Defendants emailed state legislators proposing contracts and demanding payments of $18,500 per hour or even $48 billion. The Attorney General’s lawsuit alleged that the Defendants—who ignored requests to stop—violated Vermont’s Consumer Protection Act and Telephone Solicitation Act.
Under the terms of the Consent Judgment, the Defendants are enjoined from engaging in any business activity in Vermont, such as telemarketing, and from contacting any Vermont residents, including state legislators. The Consent Judgment also includes provisions for compliance monitoring and stipulated penalties for future violations.
To report scams, complete the Consumer Assistance Program’s online scam reporting form or call 1-800-649-2424. To sign up for the federal Do Not Call Registry or to report telemarketing calls, go to https://www.donotcall.gov/
A copy of the consent judgment is available here.