Court Picks Jacksonville Mediator for Fla. AG’s Robocalling Case vs. Smartbiz

U.S. District Court for Southern Florida in Miami designated Thomas Harper as the certified mediator in Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s (R) robocalling case against Smartbiz Telecom, said a clerk’s notice Wednesday (docket 1:22-cv-23945). Harper runs his own law and mediation practice in Jacksonville. The parties asked the court to designate a certified mediator on a “blind rotation basis” after they were unable to agree on one (see 2309060017). Moody’s Dec. 5 complaint called Smartbiz “one of the most prolific transmitters of illegal robocalls” in the U.S., alleging the VoIP company violated the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act and other statutes, plus the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule (see 2212060034).