2024 Trial Set in Charter’s Trademark Lawsuit vs. Scammers

A jury or bench trial lasting five or more days is scheduled to begin in June or July 2024 on Charter Communications’ lawsuit against a Texas startup, Knowteq Solutions, alleging misuse of Charter's trademarks in scams to steal customers' information (see 2210070016), said a docket control order (docket 4:22-cv-03433]) signed Wednesday. The order by U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew Edison for Southern Texas in Houston set a Jan. 27 deadline for amending the pleadings or adding new parties. Jan. 12 is the deadline for completing discovery, it said. Knowteq and Natoshia Ellzey of Katy, Texas, its “sole member and manager,” are alleged to have sent text solicitations to Charter subscribers using the Charter and Spectrum “family” of trademarks and “falsely stating Charter subscribers could receive a discount on their Spectrum bills" if paid through Knowteq, said Charter’s complaint. A subscriber responds to the text message with the assumption he or she is communicating with Charter or an authorized vendor, it said.