PHOENIX, Jan. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ —

Notice of Class Action
Bultemeyer v. CenturyLink Inc.,
Case No. 2:14-cv-02530-SPL (D. Ariz.)

A class action lawsuit has been certified against CenturyLink Inc., now known as Lumen Technologies, Inc. (“Lumen”). The lawsuit alleges Lumen violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, at 15 U.S.C. § 1681b(f), by obtaining consumers’ credit reports without a permissible purpose. More specifically, it alleges that Lumen, as part of its online order process, impermissibly obtained consumers’ credit reports automatically after step four of its ordering process and before submitting an order at step five. The Court has certified a class action and appointed Ms. Bultemeyer as the class representative. Lumen denies the allegations and claims and asserts numerous defenses, including that it had a permissible purpose.

Am I a class member? The Class is defined as: “[E]very individual in the United States about whom Defendant CenturyLink obtained a consumer credit report using the personal information the individual entered into CenturyLink’s ecommerce website from November 14, 2012 through November 14, 2014 and who did not sign an arbitration agreement or class action waiver with CenturyLink.” If you are a class member, you have legal rights and options you may exercise before trial. The trial will decide whether Lumen willfully violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the amount of statutory damages, (between $100–$1,000 per class member), plus punitive damages, if any, to be assessed.

Will class members receive money or a benefit? No money or benefit has been recovered to date, and there is no guarantee that there will be in the future. However, the Court did grant a motion certifying the above Class, and class members have a choice to make now.

What are class members’ options? Do Nothing. Class members can do nothing and await the outcome of the lawsuit. Such class members remain in the Class and keep the possibility of getting money or benefits from a trial or settlement. If money or benefits are awarded, class members will be notified. But, they give up any rights to sue Lumen individually and seek damages for the same claim. If Lumen wins at trial, all class members will lose their claims. Request Exclusion. Class members can ask to be removed from this class action. If any class members do so and money or benefits are awarded later, such individuals will not receive any portion. But, they keep any rights they may have to sue Lumen themselves.

How do class members request exclusion? To request exclusion, class members must send an “Opt-Out Request” by U.S. mail or e-mail stating that they want to be excluded. It must include your name, address, phone number, and email address, and you must sign the opt-out letter. You must mail your request postmarked or time-stamped by February 21, 2024 to: CenturyLink Class Action, c/o A.B. Data, Ltd., P.O. Box 170500, Milwaukee, WI 53217. Opt-out instructions are also on www.CenturyLinkClassAction.com. 

Do class members have a lawyer? Yes. The Court has appointed Russell S. Thompson, IV (Thompson Consumer Law Group, PC; (602) 388-8898; [email protected]) and Andrew J. Brown (Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown; (619) 501-6550; [email protected]) to represent class members as “Class Counsel.” Class members will not be charged by these lawyers. Class members can hire their own lawyer(s) to make an appearance in the lawsuit, but will need to pay their own legal fees.

NOTE: This notice is a summary only. Visit www.CenturyLinkClassAction.com or call 1-877-495-0951 for complete information.

SOURCE Thompson Consumer Law Group, PC and The Law Offices of Andrew J. Brown