New jersey man sued verizon over $10 special deposit fee and lost

Court denies fee waiver and dismisses case, calling claims legally baseless and unsupported

TRENTON, NJ – A federal judge in New Jersey has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a man who claimed he paid Verizon Wireless nearly $500 through a “special deposit” to settle his account—but court documents reveal he may have only sent a $10 check.

Plaintiff Antonio-Murller Genelien, who represented himself, sued Verizon Wireless and CEO Hans Vestberg, alleging violations of federal contract and labor laws. Judge Zahid N. Quraishi denied Genelien’s request to waive court fees and dismissed the complaint with prejudice, barring it from being filed again.

Key Points

Plaintiff claimed he made a $497.97 “special deposit” to Verizon to settle his account
Verizon reportedly received only a $10 check and suspended his service
Judge denied the fee waiver and dismissed the case permanently for lack of merit

Court finds no valid legal basis

In his opinion, Judge Quraishi noted that Genelien’s filing lacked factual details and failed to meet the standards required to proceed in forma pauperis—a status allowing indigent plaintiffs to file cases without paying fees. The judge wrote that Genelien left every section of his financial affidavit blank, answering “N/A” to questions about income and expenses.

Without that information, Quraishi said, the court could not assess his eligibility to proceed without fees. Even if it had been approved, the judge stated, the case would still be dismissed because it failed to state any claim recognized by law.

Laws cited did not apply to Verizon

Genelien’s complaint referenced 41 U.S.C. § 6503, a statute governing federal contracts, and 29 U.S.C. § 1109, which addresses fiduciary duties related to employee benefit plans. Judge Quraishi explained that neither law applied to a private dispute with Verizon, noting that the company “is not an agency of the United States” and that the complaint did not allege any connection to employee benefit plans.

The court concluded that both claims were legally futile and dismissed the case in its entirety.

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Tags: Verizon, New Jersey, lawsuit

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