Lee Law email

[shopmilaruby]

I received an email from ebay that i violated vero policy for otterbox cases that i had listed so they took them down. That is perfectly fine, i was unaware of it, wont ever list them again. About a week later i recieve an email from Michael claiming to be from Lee Law Services accusing me of selling counterfeit otterboxes. That i need to mail any remaining that i have in possesion and to pay them $750 to settle. They looked real to me, they still are in their original packaging. I listed them as used cause the packagings had some wear. I tried to explain to him that i was unaware of them being counterfeit or that i was not allowed to list them on ebay. I explained to him that we are a small family business just trying to survive that $750 is a lot of money for me, to please reconsider, but he stands firm and expects me to pay by tomorrow (Friday) or else fee will be higher….i don’t even know if this is real or a scam…what do i do? Anyone in this situation recently? I had a total of 8 cases, 3 of them sold, received them as a drop off along with other items in a box at our thrift store location about a month ago. Most of the items that we resell are from online auctions of return items or estate sales, storage units, & donations that people make. Please someone HELP!

[deltilogical]

Did you receive an email or an Ebay message?

[farmalljr]

They can "demand" whatever they want. You don't have to comply. Going to be hard for them to prove you sold fake anything, unless they actually purchased one. 

[tobaccocardyahoo]

You cannot prove that they are not counterfeit given the source.

You could cave in and pay the $750.

You could ignore the message and hope you are not included in the next group of online sellers who are sued on behalf of Otterbox.

You could contact a lawyer and get some reliable advice.

[secondlifetreasures-llc]

You are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Do not pay them anything. I doubt a company as big as them would take you to court over it.

[alcoforever]

Is Lee Law even a legitimate business or law firm?  If not, whole thing is probably a scam.

[shopmilaruby]

Both ebay message then about a week later email from leelawservices

[4pawsup*]

@alcoforever Is Lee Law even a legitimate business or law firm? 

Yes there is a Lee Law Firm with offices in Tampa.

[redmodelt]

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Otter-Box/m-p/33826623?search-action-id=1097801044063&sea...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/otter-box-phone-holders/m-p/33316855?search-action-id=10978010...

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Otter-Box-Lee-Law-Counterfeit-Lawsuit-For-eBay-Sellers/m-...

If you do a use the search box, those are just a few of the posts about Otter Box. 

[shopmilaruby]

He says that they bought one from me, and i noticed that of the three buyers that purchased, one of them i do not have access to his feedbacks or profile.

[hartungcards]

If according to Lee Law your Otterboxes are not as described, tell them that you want a return shipping label if they want them back.

[ltldpr]

This part irks me soooo bad: "but he stands firm and expects me to pay by tomorrow (Friday) or else fee will be higher".

I'm not an attorney, but I don't think that's how it's supposed to work. I always thought any legal action had to be official, not a threatening "email". You know, a letter at least and a certified letter at best. This reminds me of a bill collector. 

But, I looked up the firm and even the guy's name is correct. They filed a case against a store chain in Tennessee for selling A LOT of counterfeit otter products on eBay in 2021, but that chain continued selling them after Michael told them to cut it out. I don't know the outcome. Not going to read the whole thing. 

This would make me mad if it happened to me because it sounds like the "law firm" acts a lot like they're doing a shake down. The items are no longer being sold. It's done. No need for paying off the mob for protection - which is also what it reminds me of. Shady!

I'd send a Cease and Desist letter to this "attorney" via certified mail and be done with it. If he wants the other items, he can send a courier to pick them up. 

But again, I'm not an attorney. Consulting one would be a good idea. 

[shopmilaruby]

Ok, thank you for your reply

[gregs_collection]

Don't give him anything.  Sounds like a scamming lawyer.  If he was representing Otterbox, I'm sure that he would have mentioned that.  Second, if he continues to request monies, I would contact the bar association where he practices from and request an investigation into his firm.  In fact I would contact the Bar before anything else.   Last but not least, do not give him a cent.

[shopmilaruby]

Exactly how i feel about all this, my stomache hurts just to think that they are allowed to come after anyone in this manner…since this happened i can’t sleep and i am very worried about what i’m selling or listing. I had around a little over 400 items listed on ebay, since this happened, i am down to under 200 items because now i am scared to list something that will get me in trouble….the thing is, that the vero system is not working in the sellers favor. Ebay should apply a better system where automatically it shouldn’t allow us to list items that they know are prohibited. I’ve been under a rock this whole time cause i just found out that otterbox is banned from selling.   So this means that this is real & not a scam?!