Who is a Class Member
- Class members of the Missouri CenturyLink Pure Broadband Internet Settlement include all individuals “who at any point between December 3, 2007 and July 31, 2017 purchased the ‘Pure Broadband’ package, and no other telephony services, from CenturyLink in the State of Missouri and were assessed a Universal Service Fund Surcharge, a Missouri Universal Service Fund Surcharge, a 911 Surcharge, and/or a Missouri Relay Surcharge.”
If you don’t qualify for this settlement, check out our database of other class action settlements you may be eligible for.
Settlement Amount
- $7,500,000.00
Estimated Award
- Varies
The amount class members will receive under the Missouri CenturyLink Pure Broadband Internet settlement will depend in part on how many months they were a Pure Broadband customer. It is estimated that class members will recover about 83% of the federal and Missouri universal service charges billed to them for Pure Broadband.
Proof of Purchase
- N/A
Claim Form
Missouri CenturyLink Pure Broadband Internet Settlement Notes
- Sanford v. CenturyTel of Missouri, LLC, d/b/a CenturyLink
- Case No. 12BA-CV-4686
- Pending in the Circuit Court of Boone County, State of Missouri
Plaintiff Kyle Sanford initiated this putative class action lawsuit alleging CenturyLink violated the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act when it sold a “Pure Broadband” package that, instead of consisting solely of broadband service, was bundled with a limited-use phone line.
Specifically, Sanford asserts that CenturyLink’s Pure Broadband wasn’t so pure because the company allegedly misrepresented and failed to disclose in its marketing and billing practices the true nature of the Pure Broadband package – that it include this limited-use phone line. This reportedly led to customers having to pay certain fees on the limited-use phone line, including a nationwide Universal Fund Surcharge, a Missouri Universal Service Fund Surcharge, a 911 Surcharge, and a Missouri Relay Surcharge that they actually never bargained for!
CenturyLink denies these allegations and any claims of wrongdoing but agreed to settle to avoid further litigation.
Under the terms of the Missouri CenturyLink Pure Broadband Internet Settlement, CenturyLink will pay $7.5 million, of which class counsel will ask the court to approve payment of up to one-third of the settlement amount for attorneys’ fees and expenses, and well as for a $15,000 incentive award to Sanford for his services as Class Representative.
If approved, the remaining funds will be distributed to Class members who submit valid and timely claims. It is estimated that Class members will recover about 83% of the federal and Missouri universal service charges billed to them for Pure Broadband for the duration they were a Pure Broadband customer. For example, a class member who was a Pure Broadband customer for ten months and was billed surcharges on the limited-use phone line averaging $1.00 per month would receive a settlement payment of about $8.30 (83% of $10.00). Under this same example, a class member who was a Pure Broadband customer for 30 months would receive a settlement payment of about $24.90 (83% of $30.00). (These are just estimates).
Class members who wish to exclude themselves or object to the terms of the settlement must do so by December 26, 2017. Class members who wish to submit a claim must do so by March 8, 2018.
Important Dates
- 3/8/18: Deadline to submit a claim form
- 12/26/17: Deadline for Class members to exclude themselves or object to the settlement
- 1/22/18: Final Approval Hearing at 9:00 am CT (class members do not need to attend this hearing in order to receive a slice of the settlement pie).
Contact Information
- Mail: Pure Broadband Settlement Administrator, c/o Rust Consulting, PO Box 2614, Faribault, MN 55021-9614
- Phone: 1-866-903-1193
Class Counsel
- Kenneth B. McClain and Jonathan M. Soper of Humphrey Farrington & McClain PC
Settlement Website