DIRECTV Customers One Step Closer to Justice Says Attorney

San Francisco, CAA California court has granted class-action status to a potentially multi-million dollar class-action suit against DIRECTV. Customers allege that they were charged as much as $480 in early cancellation fees in violation of California consumer law.

Attorney Ingrid Evans, who has been working with the plaintiffs for over two years, sees this recent court decision as very good news. "I would say we are one step closer to achieving justice but still have a significant way to go," say Evans.

The suit claims that DIRECTV charged customers an illegal cancellation penalty when they ended their service, even if customers terminated their service because the satellite equipment stopped working or they moved to an area where they were no longer able to receive the signal.

In cases where malfunctioning equipment had to be replaced, DIRECTV automatically extended the "programming commitment" by a year or two, even going so far as scooping fees from customer's bank and credit card accounts without permission.

"You could have a customer that has been with DIRECTV for ten years, but if they upgrade, they are locked in for an additional two years," says Evans.

Calls from disgruntled DIRECTV customers have poured into the Evans Law Firm offices since the suit was first launched. How many plaintiffs have already joined the class action Evans won't say, but the answer is "lots."

"I can say that my office has had hundreds of calls and those are just the people who are upset enough to call," says Evans.

Wow. Stay tuned.


Ingrid Evans is the founding partner of the Evans Law Firm. She is a Board Certified Civil Trial Advocate and nominated for California Consumer Attorney of the year in 2009. As a former Deputy City Attorney for the city of San Francisco, Evans had an undefeated jury trial record. Her practice focuses on consumer law, class actions, including consumer fraud, insurance and banking litigation; qui tam/government false claims act litigation; pharmaceutical; and asbestos toxic tort law and employment law.