PayPal faces lawsuit for freezing customer accounts and funds

Three PayPal customers who’ve allegedly had their accounts frozen and funds taken by the corporate with out clarification have filed a federal lawsuit in opposition to the web cost service. The plaintiffs — two customers from California and one from Chicago — are accusing the corporate of unlawfully seizing their private property and violating racketeering legal guidelines. They’re now proposing a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all different customers who’ve had their accounts frozen earlier than and are searching for restitution, in addition to punitive and exemplary damages.

Lena Evans, one of many plaintiffs who’d been a PayPal person for 22 years, mentioned the web site seized $26,984 from her account six months after it acquired frozen with out ever telling her why. Evans had been utilizing PayPal to purchase and promote clothes on eBay, to trade cash for a poker league she owns and for a non-profit that helps girls with numerous wants. 

Fellow plaintiff Roni Shemtov mentioned PayPal seized over $42,000 of her cash and by no means acquired an appropriate cause for why her account was terminated. She obtained a number of completely different explanations when she contacted the corporate: One buyer rep mentioned it was as a result of she used the identical IP and laptop as different Paypal customers, whereas one other mentioned it was as a result of she bought yoga clothes at 20 to 30 % decrease than retail. Yet one more consultant allegedly mentioned it was as a result of she used a number of accounts, which she denies. 

Shbadan Akylbekov, the third plaintiff, mentioned PayPal seized over $172,000 of his cash with out giving him any reason the account acquired restricted within the first place. Akylbekov used the account of an organization his spouse owns to promote Hyaluron pens, that are needle-less pens that inject hyaluronic acid into the pores and skin. After the cash disappeared from the account following a six-month freeze, PayPal allegedly despatched his spouse a letter that claims she “violated PayPal’s Consumer Settlement and Acceptable Use Coverage (AUP) by accepting funds for the sale of injectable fillers not accepted by the FDA.” It additionally mentioned that the cash was taken from her account “for its liquidated damages arising from these AUP violations pursuant to the Consumer Settlement.”

PayPal has lengthy angered many a person for limiting accounts and freezing their funds for six months or extra. One high-profile case was American poker participant Chris Moneymaker’s who had $12,000 taken from his account after six months of being restricted. Moneymaker was already within the technique of asking folks to affix him in a category motion lawsuit earlier than his funds have been “mysteriously returned.” 

A part of the criticism reads:

“Plaintiffs carry this class motion in opposition to Defendant PAYPAL, INC. (“PayPal”) to get well damages and different aid obtainable at regulation and in fairness on behalf of themselves, in addition to on behalf of the members of the category outlined herein… This motion stems from Defendant’s widespread enterprise observe of unilaterally seizing funds from its purchasers’ monetary accounts, with out trigger and with none truthful or due course of.

PayPal locations a “maintain” on Plaintiffs’ personal funds in their very own PayPal accounts. PayPal has failed to tell Plaintiffs and members of the category of the rationale(s) for the actions PayPal has taken, even telling Plaintiffs and members of the category that they’ll “need to get a subpoena” to study the straightforward info as to why PayPal was holding, and denying Plaintiffs, entry to their very own cash.”