PHILADELPHIA — A Levittown resident has filed a class-action lawsuit against Global Tel*Link Corporation and DSI-ITI LLC telecommunications services at correctional facilities in Pennsylvania for allegedly charging rates more than 100 times higher than market rates.
Glenn Pollard alleges that phone account(s) for prison inmates are charged "unconscionable, excessive rates." His suit claims "taking of property without just compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment.
Pollard filed the complaint on Aug. 16, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, against the defendants alleging that they abused their monopoly power over phone calls made from Pennsylvania by prisoners through the alleged exorbitant rates.
The plaintiff alleges that, between 2010 and 2011, while incarcerated in Bucks County Correctional Facility, he signed up for his account via telephone.
Pollard deposited money from his resources available while he was in prison to fund advance pay accounts for him to make calls from prison to his family and friends.
Any remaining money deposited into his account was eaten up by fees and charges. The plaintiff holds Global Tel*Link Corporation and DSI-ITI, LLC responsible because the defendants allegedly deprived Pollard and the class members of their right to the money in the phone account(s) by allegedly charging unconscionable, excessive rates for phone calls, charging unconscionable service and set-up fees, and taking the money from the accounts for inactivity.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks for compensatory damages, for disgorgement and restitution to the plaintiff and the other class members of all monies wrongfully taken by defendants, prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees, expenses and recoverable costs for such other and further relief as the court deems just and proper. He is represented by Jonathan Shub and Kevin Laukaitis of Kohn, Swift & Graft P.C. in Philadelphia and Alan E. Denenberg of Abramson & Denenberg in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:18-cv-03479-NIQA