Is Andrew Perrong a serial plaintiff who owns up to eight phones and makes money suing companies — including collection agencies — for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act by contacting him without permission, or is he a student, studying to be a priest, who is merely fighting back against the scourge of robocalls?
Reading a profile of Perrong and his numerous legal adventures, it’s hard to get a good feel for whether the answer is one or the other or something in between. It’s hard because Perrong refused to comment for the article, which revealed he has filed at least 45 lawsuits against companies and has demanded “tens of thousands of dollars” in settlements, according to court documents filed by a defense attorney who has opposed Perrong.
“His litigation history makes plain that he seeks [calls] out and gladly receives them” for his next lawsuit, Ballard Spahr’s Daniel JT McKenna, who represents a Texas utility that Perrong recently sued, argued in October. “The purpose of such conduct is to make Perrong money.”
Perrong has denied he is a professional plaintiff and that suing companies is a business for him, because he’s “too busy,” according to the report.
Perrong notched his first settlement while still in high school, according to the report. He appears to be willing to go to great lengths to find out who is behind the robocalls that he is receiving.
In one case, he scheduled an appointment through a telemarketer, ostensibly to get a home-repair estimate. When a repairman arrived, Perrong took his business card, sent him home, and then sued his company the next day in May, according to his complaint. In another case, he placed an order, froze the credit-card payment so the company would call back, and sued the same day.
