Verizon Wireless has won a permanent injunction against Rhode Island spammer Jacob Brown, whom Verizon had accused of sending millions of spam messages to cell phone customers in California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
The ruling from a U.S. District Court in New Jersey was handed down August 27 and bans Brown from sending any more text message spam. Brown's spam pushed mortgage loans, weight-loss products, and adult Websites. He didn't appear at last week's hearing.
"The ruling shows this won't be tolerated," said Verizon attorney Steve Zipperstein following the verdict. "It's annoying in your car, in your house, when you're out, to get messages that you don't want."
In a June lawsuit, Verizon accused Brown and partners of disguising their identities and using an automatic dialing system to send the spam. The company wanted $150,000 in damages at minimum but nothing was awarded just yet.
This isn't the first time Verizon has beaten a spammer. Verizon beat Alan Ralsky and his Additional Benefits two years ago, winning an injunction that barred Ralsky from e-mailing Verizon Internet customers and mandating he pay unspecified damages.
