The Mason Law Firm Announces Class Action Lawsuits Against Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth; Lawsuits Filed in DC for Violation of Privacy Laws

Business Wire, May 15, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Mason Law Firm, P.C. announced that they filed today class action lawsuits on behalf of millions of persons in the United States who are residential customers of telephone or Internet services provided by Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth. The suits were filed in United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The Complaints allege that the National Security Agency ("NSA") began a classified surveillance program shortly after September 11, 2001, to intercept the telephone and Internet communications of persons inside the United States without judicial authorization, a program that continues to this day. The President has stated that he authorized the Program in 2001, that he has reauthorized the Program more than 30 times since its inception, and that he intends to continue doing so. As part of this data-mining program, the NSA intercepts millions of communications made or received by people inside the United States, and uses powerful computers to scan their contents for particular names, numbers, words or phrases.

According to the Complaints, the Attorney General has admitted that, absent additional authority from Congress, the electronic surveillance conducted by the Program requires a court order under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. The President and other government officials have admitted that the NSA does not seek judicial review of the Program's interceptions before or after the surveillance, whether by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court or any other court.

The plaintiffs claim that in violation of the Electronic Privacy Act of 1986, Verizon, AT&T and BellSouth provided customer records to the government. The privacy Act bars the telephone carriers from turning over information about calls except in extremely limited circumstances. The suit seeks the minimum penalty of $1,000 for each person whose information was compromised.

"The phone companies that participated in this surveillance program could be on the hook for billions of dollars in damages," said Gary E. Mason, the attorney for the plaintiffs. "It appears that the telephone companies turned over millions of records and the privacy act provides of a minimum penalty of $1,000."

The Mason Law Firm, P.C., which has offices in Washington, D.C. and New York, New York is a leading class action, product liability and consumer fraud law firm representing plaintiffs throughout the nation. Mr. Mason has served as lead or co-lead counsel on numerous class actions involving, among other things, unconstitutional strip searches, defective synthetic stucco, and economic losses incurred by consumers who purchased Vioxx. The plaintiffs are also represented by: Peter N. Wasylyk of the Law Offices of Peter N. Wasylyk (Providence, RI); and Andrew Kierstead of the Law Office of Andrew Kierstead (Portland, OR).

For additional information contact Gary E. Mason at (202) 429-2290; copies of the Complaints are available at http://www.masonlawdc.com.