Friday, October 4, 2024 In a landmark legal triumph, Marriott International, Inc. has successfully wrapped up a federal lawsuit in Virginia against the individuals behind the illegal and fraudulent robocalls that targeted consumers while misappropriating the Marriott brand and its affiliated names. This case was initiated by Marriott in May 2021 as a “John Doe” lawsuit against unidentified perpetrators who were taking advantage of Marriott’s brands for illicit commercial purposes, breaching both state and federal regulations.
The culprits behind these unlawful robocalls deceived consumers into purchasing vacation and timeshare offers, falsely presenting themselves as agents or employees of Marriott or claiming some form of affiliation with the company. The frequency of these fraudulent robocalls soared in 2020, reaching an alarming peak of seven million per month, with many consumers experiencing the nuisance of repeated calls, much to their dismay and Marriott’s concern. To bolster its consumer and brand protection initiatives, Marriott engaged technology experts YouMail and the Industry Traceback Group, who tracked robocalls that utilized Marriott’s trademarks.
This collaboration allowed Marriott to pinpoint the sources of the robocalls. Following the issuance of numerous subpoenas, Marriott updated its lawsuit in 2022 to include ten identified domestic and international defendants. Over the past two years, Marriott has successfully obtained judgments, consent ord.
