Americans who received unsolicited telemarketing calls may still be eligible for compensation from a multi-million-dollar class-action settlement, but the deadline to file a claim is fast approaching.
The settlement stems from a 2022 lawsuit alleging that SiriusXM, a New York City-based satellite radio company, repeatedly contacted people who had opted out of telemarketing calls. SiriusXM denied wrongdoing but agreed to pay $28 million to resolve the claims.
Under the settlement terms, which received preliminary approval last November, consumers may qualify if they received more than one telemarketing call from SiriusXM within any 12-month period between April 27, 2019, and Oct. 31, 2025, despite either having registered their number on the National Do Not Call Registry or having asked SiriusXM not to call them.
Eligible consumers can file a claim online through the court-approved settlement website. The deadline to submit a claim is March 21. Anyone who wishes to object to the settlement must do so by March 27. A final approval hearing is scheduled for May 11.
The settlement administrator has not released estimated payout amounts. Final payments will depend on the number of valid claims submitted.
In addition to providing cash payments, SiriusXM agreed to adopt new business practices to comply with telemarketing laws, including scrubbing telemarketing lists and implementing new calling policies.
The lawsuit alleged that SiriusXM made repeated telemarketing calls to people who had opted out, either by joining the National Do Not Call Registry or by directly telling the company not to call again, in violation of the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
That law generally restricts the use of autodialers and prerecorded messages and requires prior express written consent for many marketing calls to cell phones and residential lines. It also paved the way for the National Do Not Call Registry.
Created in 2003, the registry is managed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and enforced in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission. It is a free service that allows consumers to opt out of most unsolicited telemarketing calls to landlines and mobile phones. Once a number is added, legitimate telemarketers generally have 31 days to remove it from their call lists. The registry does not, however, block calls from charities, political groups, debt collectors, or scammers.
“The Do Not Call Registry stops unwanted sales calls from real companies that follow the law,” the FTC says on its website. “The Registry is a list that tells registered telemarketers what numbers not to call—it doesn’t block calls. So being on the Registry won’t stop calls from scammers making illegal calls.”
