California direct marketing company banned from operating in Kansas

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A California-based direct marketing company has been banned from doing business in Kansas and from contacting Kansas consumers until it cooperates with the attorney general’s investigation into its business practices, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.

In a lawsuit filed in Shawnee County District Court last month, Schmidt accused Peter B. Tolman II, d/b/a Leads Direct Marketing of Oakley, Calif., of violating the Kansas No Call Act.

The lawsuit alleges the defendant violated the Kansas No Call Act by calling Kansas consumers registered on the Do-Not-Call list, failing to consult the National Do Not Call Registry and failing to promptly and accurately identify themselves when calling Kansas consumers.

The defendant was served with process but has failed to respond. Shawnee County District Court Judge Larry Hendricks has entered a temporary restraining order prohibiting the company from operating in Kansas until it complies with an investigative subpoena issued by the attorney general.

In 2013, the attorney general’s office received multiple complaints from Kansans who had received telemarketing calls from Leads Direct Marketing on behalf of other businesses seeking to advertise and sell home security systems and/or security monitoring systems.

“Kansans who have registered their phone numbers on the do-not-call list deserve to have their privacy respected,” Schmidt said. “Our office will continue to enforce the law and take action against those who violate it.”

For more information on how to register for the do-not-call list, please visit the attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org .