Moore v. Dealfi LLC

**What This Case Was About** Vincent Lucas sued his employer, Defend America LLC, because the company made illegal telemarketing calls to his phone number. Lucas had registered his number on the national do-not-call registry, which legally prohibits most marketing calls. Despite this protection, his employer continued calling him without permission, violating both federal telemarketing laws and Ohio state regulations. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled in Lucas's favor and ordered Defend America LLC to pay him $5,500 in damages. The company failed to respond to the lawsuit, so the judge issued a "default judgment" - essentially an automatic win for Lucas because the employer didn't defend itself in court. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows that workers have legal protections against unwanted calls from their employers, even for work-related purposes. If your employer repeatedly calls your personal phone for marketing or other business reasons after you've asked them to stop, or if your number is on the do-not-call registry, you may have grounds for legal action. Workers can potentially receive significant monetary damages for these violations, as telemarketing laws carry substantial penalties designed to deter this behavior.