In the lawsuits, announced by internet entrepreneur Steve Kirsch, the consumers claim that the named companies violated federal laws that prohibit unsolicited advertisements or announcements being broadcast to fax machines.
They also allege that Fax.com may have put human lives in danger, when more than 1,000 telephone calls to the University of Washington Medical Center were launched from the company’s “war dialer” (a program that automatically dials hundreds of numbers to find entry points to telecommunications networks).
The suits claim that El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, California, was also bombarded by numerous junk faxes.
The consumers are seeking a minimum statutory remedy of $500 per fax from every advertiser who used Fax.com during the past four years in addition to punitive damages.
Fax.com has rejected the allegations as “unfounded and absurd.” The company said in a statement that the “lawsuit is being used to intimidate Fax.com’s customers, many of whom are small business owners who rely on faxing as an affordable and effective method of advertising.”