Tribunal to decide if £600m BT lawsuit will go ahead

Landmark consumer case being will begin hearing tomorrow

Tomorrow the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) will begin hearing Justin Le Patourel’s lawsuit against BT which could be worth up to £600 million.

This is the next step in a landmark consumer case on behalf of BT landline customers who may have collectively lost millions. 

Tomorrow’s hearing will determine: 

1. Which claimants will be included in the class, and who will be certified to represent them
2. If Mr Le Patourel is certified

If both conditions are met, the case will go to a full trial. If Mr Le Patourel wins the case, up to 2.31 million customers who took a landline from BT but did not bundle this with a broadband service could receive up to £500 of compensation each. 

The case is being brought on an ‘opt-out’ basis, meaning that affected BT customers do not need to do anything to be included in the claim, but can choose to opt-out if they wish. 

Ofcom said it had found that BT had been overcharging its standalone landline customers and so BT agreed to reduce its line rental by £7 per month from 2018. But it did not offer compensation for overcharging that took place prior to this, meaning that many customers are still out of pocket.

Le Patourel said: “The speed of this hearing suggests the Competition Appeals Tribunal is aware of the significance of this important class action. 

“I am hopeful that I will be allowed to take the case forward, and to represent the millions of people I believe were ripped off by BT”.