Massachusetts Man Sues Honda Dealer Over AI Robocalls He Says Wouldn't Stop

A Massachusetts man is taking a Cambridge Honda dealership to court over pre-recorded calls asking whether he wanted to sell his car - calls he says he never signed up for.

Plaintiff Jonathan Kamens has never been a customer of Cambridge Honda, and his cell number sits on the National Do Not Call Registry, according to Automotive News. The complaint says an AI-generated caller with a "robotic and artificial voice" greets him by the wrong name, "Timothy," before pitching an instant cash offer on his vehicle. Kamens says texts from "Roger" at the dealership followed.

When Kamens called the number back and asked whether he was speaking to a real person, the voice on the other end said it was AI, AutoNews reported.

The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, seeks class-action status for anyone in the country who received a pre-recorded message from Cambridge Honda on a cell phone over the past four years. It alleges violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, claiming recipients were "temporarily deprived of legitimate use of their phone," charged for the calls and had their privacy invaded - and that the call was "frustrating, obnoxious, annoying and a nuisance."

Kamens is asking for damages and an order barring the dealership from making future calls using an artificial or prerecorded voice, except for emergencies. A lawyer for the store said she wasn't authorized to discuss the case. It's unclear how many times Kamens was contacted or how many people were affected.