A Florida inmate has sued Verizon Wireless for $72 million because he feels the company’s negligence allowed him to steal another man’s identity.
On 29 December 2016, James Leslie Kelly filed a lawsuit with the United States District Court in Tampa against Verizon. In it, he accuses the wireless telecommunications company of having caused him “substantial harm and damages as well as, pain and suffering, the diminished capacity to enjoy life and, emotional duress… [sic].”
Kelly’s apparent grudge against Verizon dates back to 7 May 2015. On that day, Kelly entered a Verizon Wireless store in Highlands County, Florida. Kelly says he submitted a valid driver’s license to a Verizon specialist, who pulled up a Verizon account belonging to another James Kelly who had a different middle name. The specialist apparently failed to spot the difference.
The Florida man spent an hour and a half in the Verizon shop that day, reports WFTV. During that period of time, he abused the other James Kelly’s account to purchase $300 worth of products.
Kelly feels it is Verizon’s negligence that allowed him to steal the other man’s identity, which in turn led to his arrest and a 10-year prison sentence.
As he alleges in his handwritten complaint:
“[The] Verizon employee… failed to take a course of action that a reasonably minded person would normally do when encountering the obvious discrepancy that is alleged.”
Should the Verizon specialist have spotted the error? Yes, but everyone is allowed to make a mistake.
If Kelly had been an upstanding gent, he would have notified the specialist of the error. By no means should the Florida man, who has a criminal record dating back to 1985, have capitalized on the mistake to commit identity theft. He’s accusing Verizon when he’s the only person to blame here.
Fortunately, not every dog has its day. The Register writes that the Tampa court is already moving to throw the case out. Kelly can then spend the rest of his prison sentence thinking about how he needs to take responsibility for his own actions on the other side of the fence.
oh comon, it's florida after all. what did you expect.
stay krazy my friend, and stay in florida.
haha!
ZfG
whaddaijiot
What do you have against FL? I live in FL… there's stupid people everywhere, including your state.
"Kelly's apparent grudge against Verizon dates back to 7 May 2015. On that day, Kelly entered a Verizon Wireless store in Highlands County, Florida. Kelly says he submitted a valid driver's license to a Verizon specialist, who pulled up a Verizon account belonging to another James Kelly who had a different middle name. The specialist apparently failed to spot the difference.
The Florida man spent an hour and a half in the Verizon shop that day, reports WFTV. During that period of time, he abused the other James Kelly's account to purchase $300 worth of products."
IF this is true… I'd say he actually has a case if it happened like this. Especially if he didn't even know the mistake until later… like when he was arrested.
That's a good point. In all likelihood, the Verizon employee probably asked Kelly if he was the individual associated with the account after inspecting his driver's license. Given Kelly's extensive criminal record, I'm not so sure he's the type of guy who would correct a mistake like that. But there is a chance he never saw the information. If that's true, I agree he'd have a case.
I agree with Mr. Cluely. Aeon for 1-6-17 has an article abput morality. Aristotle vs Kant. This is worth a read.
The past is to learn from not to live in.
With that said … how is this fair to give the man 10 years for something someone else did by mistake..?
It seem that others like yourselves are holding his criminal history against him.. (could happen to anyone whether they have a criminal record or not )
Criminal history doesn't mean anything.. unless they need something to fall back on. In this case that's all that they have to go on ..
And money always wins …
Tho I'd like to see him get his justice after doing time for the crimes of others.