The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is one of the few consumer protection statutes where the law itself tells you what each violation is worth. That makes "how much is a TCPA lawsuit worth" easier to answer than most legal questions — but the honest answer still depends on how many calls or texts you received, whether the violation was willful, and whether your case makes sense as an individual claim or joins a class action.
The statutory numbers
The TCPA sets damages in 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(3) and § 227(c)(5):
- $500 per violation for negligent illegal calls, texts, or prerecorded messages.
- Up to $1,500 per violation if the court finds the caller acted willfully or knowingly.
- $500 to $1,500 per call for calls to numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry when the recipient received more than one call from the same seller in a 12-month period.
- Injunctive relief to stop the calls going forward.
Each call and each text counts separately. Ten illegal texts is a potential $5,000 to $15,000 claim.
Individual cases: real ranges
Individual TCPA cases usually settle before trial. Typical outcomes we see:
- Under 10 violations, first-time defendant: $1,000 to $7,500 settlement, sometimes higher when the caller ignored a stop request.
- 10 to 50 violations with a documented "stop" request: $5,000 to $30,000. Ignoring "stop" is the fact pattern courts penalize hardest.
- 50+ violations, willful conduct, deep-pocket defendant: $25,000 to six figures. Some plaintiffs have collected more at trial.
Cases against small local businesses tend to settle low because collection is hard. Cases against national brands, insurance carriers, debt buyers, and lead generators tend to settle higher.
Class actions: different math
Class actions rarely pay each member $500 per violation. A typical TCPA class settlement pays each member $25 to $250 because the total fund is spread across hundreds of thousands or millions of recipients. Recent large TCPA class settlements have ranged from single-digit millions to over $75 million, but the per-person recovery is much lower than an individual case.
If you received a lot of calls or texts and can document them, you often recover more with an individual suit than by waiting for a class notice.
What drives your case value up
- You told them to stop and they kept calling. This is the single biggest lever. Save the exact date, wording, and method (text, call, email).
- The caller used a prerecorded or artificial voice. Higher scrutiny under § 227(b).
- Calls to a number on the Do Not Call Registry. Separate statutory basis, separate damages.
- Repeat violator. Courts and defendants both treat serial offenders differently.
- Clean records. Your carrier's call log, screenshots of texts, voicemail recordings — the more you have, the higher the value.
What drives value down
- You gave prior express written consent (initialing a form on a website counts).
- Only one or two violations from a small business.
- You cannot prove who called — spoofed numbers are hard to trace.
- You waited past the four-year statute of limitations.
FAQ
How much can I get per illegal robocall or text?
$500 per violation for negligent conduct and up to $1,500 per violation if the court finds it was willful or knowing.
Do I have to prove actual damages?
No. The TCPA provides statutory damages, so you do not need to show financial loss to recover.
What is the statute of limitations for a TCPA case?
Four years from the date of the violation. Each call or text starts its own clock.
Should I join a class action or file my own case?
If you received many calls or can prove a "stop" request was ignored, an individual case usually recovers more than a class settlement. If you only got a call or two, joining an active class action is often the practical path.
Do I pay anything upfront?
Most TCPA attorneys, including Javitch Law Office, take these cases on contingency — no fee unless you recover.
How Javitch Law Office Can Help
Javitch Law Office handles TCPA, robocall, and illegal text message cases nationwide from our California office. We take individual and class cases on contingency. Contact us for a free case review and we will tell you what your claim is worth.