A COMPANY partly owned by Luis Ruelas, husband of Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice, has been accused of harassment by customers in a series of lawsuits.
Luis, 48, is co-founder and executive vice president of business development for the Florida-based business Digital Media Solutions.
Real Housewives of New Jersey husband Luis Ruelas' company Digital Media Solutions has been sued for harassing customers with phone calls
Luis is a co-owner of the company
The business is currently under investigation by a New York law firm looking to sue the company
According to the company’s website, it is the “leading provider of technology-enabled digital performance advertising solutions connecting consumers and advertisers within auto, home, health and life insurance, plus a long list of top consumer verticals.”
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal that Digital Media Solutions has been hit with a series of lawsuits accusing the company of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act regarding unwanted telemarketing calls.
In court papers obtained by The U.S. Sun, Juanita Williams filed a class action lawsuit against Digital Media Solutions and Choice Health Insurance LLC in May 2023.
The lawsuit read: “Choice Health Insurance LLC commissioned telemarketing vendors, including Digital Media Solutions, LLC, to place telemarketing calls to Ms. Williams and other putative class members despite not having the requisite consent to contact those individuals who, like Plaintiff, were listed on the National Do Not Call Registry.
“Because these calls were transmitted using technology capable of generating thousands of similar calls per day, Plaintiff sues on behalf of a proposed nationwide class of other persons who received similar calls.”
Juanita rejected calls from the companies on “August 16, 17, 19, 22, 26, 30, 2022 and September 6, 9, 16, 19, and 30, 2022.”
She spoke to a representative from Choice Health Insurance, who claimed Digital Media Solutions generated the lead for them and received permission from her to be contacted.
The court papers continued: “Plaintiff followed up with Choice Health and asked for a copy of that permission, but it was never provided. That is because permission to contact Ms. Williams was never obtained and doesn’t exist.”
The lawsuit continued to allege: “Plaintiff and all members of the Class, defined below, have been harmed by the acts of Defendants because their privacy has been violated and they were annoyed and harassed."
She is requesting "$1,500 for each and every violation of the TCPA."
Digital Media Solutions has not yet responded to the ongoing lawsuit.
In April 2023, Ronda Klassen filed a separate class action lawsuit against Digital Media Solutions and SolidQuote, also accusing the companies of violating Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
The complaint read: “Sometime in or before February 2020, DMS began its campaign of irritating telemarketing calls to Klassen on behalf of SolidQuote, soliciting auto insurance Klassen did not want or need.
“Klassen did not provide express written consent for those solicitation calls. Furthermore, prior to the telemarketing campaign, Klassen did not have any established business relationship with SolidQuote or Digital Marketing Solutions.”
She listed nine times she was called over a four-month period despite being on the Do Not Call list.
The lawsuit continued: “As a result of the foregoing, Plaintiff experienced frustration, annoyance, irritation and a sense that her privacy has been invaded by Defendants.”
She and the class action members are requesting $100 per violation for each call placed and $1,500 per violation if the Court finds Defendants willfully violated the TCPA.
Digital Media Solutions has not yet responded to the pending lawsuit.
In January 2022, Todd Bank filed a third class action lawsuit against the company.
The lawsuit read: “Numerous complaints have been made to the Better Business Bureau against Defendant, Digital Media Solutions, Inc. ('DMS'), for the same conduct of which Bank complains here.
“On November 26, 2021, Bank received, on a cellular telephone line to which he is the named subscriber ('Bank’s Cell Phone'), the following text message (a copy of this text message and the four additional text messages described below)."
He provided a series of text messages and emails from the company regarding Auto Insurance Offers.
The lawsuit continued: “At all relevant times, Digital Media Solutions owned and operated each of the websites that were displayed in Bank’s Text Messages.
“Digital Media Solutions sent Bank’s Text Messages by using equipment that had the capacity to use a random or sequential number generator to store and/or produce telephone numbers to be called.
“Bank’s Text Messages were sent without the prior express written consent of any person who had had the legal right to provide such consent. Bank’s Text Messages included and introduced an 'advertisement.' Bank’s Text Messages constituted 'telemarketing.'
"Bank’s Text Messages and the additional text messages described in the preceding paragraph disturbed the peace, solitude, and tranquility of Bank and the other recipients.
"The Class Text Messages annoyed and frustrated Bank and the other recipients. The Class Text Messages to Bank and the other recipients were a nuisance."
He is requesting statutory damages of $500 per violation and up to $1,000 of statutory damages for Plaintiff and the other Class Members.
Digital Media Solutions responded to the claims: “Defendant lacks sufficient information to admit or deny the allegations in this paragraph, and on that basis denies the same.”
The U.S. Sun confirmed Digital Media Solutions has a number of similar lawsuits regarding TCPA violations against the company.
BAD BUSINESS?
In addition, customers have turned to Better Business Bureau to complain about the company.
In March 2023, one user filed a complaint with BBB that read: “This company is said to be the source of spoofed telemarketer calls for ‘Senior Aid Helpler.’ Despite being asked to be placed on their do not call list, the company continues to make phone calls multiple times per day. I have blocked so many numbers by them but new ones keep calling.”
Digital Media Solutions responded: “The number provided has been placed on our Global Do Not Call list. If you have any other issues, please contact us and we will assist.”
An August 2022 complaint read: “This lead generation company has been calling me several times a day, using false names and 'spoofed' local phone numbers to hide their identity from consumers. They have mostly been promoting debt relief, ask you qualifying questions and then transfer you to reps at different companies. They get paid by these other companies for each lead that is sent.
“My phone number has been on the national do not call registry since 2006 and should have been on their internal do not call list (what a joke) since January 2021. I have received over 35 calls since the beginning of July 2022.
“They have even attempted to falsify an opt-in to one of the companies when I called them out for the intrusion. This company has several lawsuits against them for violating TCPA regulations, as they continue to disregard the laws set forth to protect consumers.”
Digital Media Solutions responded: “DMS has not placed any calls to your cell phone since it was added to our internal DNC list in 2021. Please direct your complaints to the parties responsible for placing these calls.”
A May 2021 complaint read: “Digital Media Solutions keeps sending me harassing emails. I wish for them to take me off their list, as I never wished to receive communications from them in the first place.”
The company responded: “Per your request, your email address has been added to our suppression list.”
UNDER INVESTIGATION
The lawsuits and Better Business Bureau complaints come as the company is currently under investigation by a class action law firm Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP for violating state laws.
They are seeking to file a class action lawsuit against the company.
Luis has promoted his company, which was launched in 2012, on social media through the years.
REALITY DRAMA
This season of RHONJ involved Luis and Teresa's feud with her brother Joe Gorga and his wife Melissa.
Luis’ wedding special with Teresa, Teresa Gets Married, airs tonight on Bravo after the couple's August 2022 wedding.
The special will be followed by a three-part RHONJ reunion starting next week.
