It has often been said Troutman Amin, LLP would make a great reality television show– but we’re just great in reality. 😉
A new TCPA class action, however, has all the sizzle and sensation of a great Netflix reality binge (I assume, since I have LITERALLY never watched Netflix.)
A new complaint filed by consumer Steven Kern in California contains a litany of allegations against UMRO REALTY CORP. d/b/a The Agency with a TON of discussion of some show the Agency is apparently featured on called “Buying Beverly Hills.”
In the complaint–which is a must read and can be found here– Umro Complaint –Plaintiff alleges The Agency’s CEO, Mauricio Umansky, is personally involved in agent development and often instructs agents on the importance of cold calling. It notes these activities are prominently displayed on Netflix’s “Buying Beverly Hills,” a reality television series about Defendant The Agency.
The complaint specifically references activities on the show:
In the second season of the show, when The Agency agent Sonika Vaid failed to generate business, CEO Mauricio Umansky placed her under performance review and directed her to cold call, scheduling a follow-up meeting and stating: “What you really need is to create lead generation… Let’s meet again in three weeks. I want you to show me what you’ve done. Are you making calls? What are you doing to generate leads?”
Elsewhere the complaint alleges:
The Agency ratified and authorized cold calling as an accepted business practice by: (1) arranging for the CEO’s daughter to participate in cold calling training, (2) had her trained by a member of the team whose team leader openly sells courses and trains its own agents on cold calling, (3) allowing the training to proceed despite warnings that “people will cuss us out,” (4) including the agent under CEO performance review in the same training to satisfy the CEO’s “generate leads” mandate, and (5) filming and broadcasting this training to millions of viewers. These actions demonstrate that cold calling is not rogue behavior but rather an authorized and actively promoted business practice that The Agency openly facilitates.
The complaint also references podcast appearances by The Agency agents:
In a video interview published on June 5, 2025 on the Luxury Presence YouTube channel, Belack publicly describes his systematic cold calling practices Belack states: “We do a lot of prospecting of expired and canceled listings on my team. This is widely known.”5 Expired and cancelled listings refer to homeowners who previously listed with competing brokerages, consumers with whom The Agency has no relationship and from whom no consent was obtained. Belack acknowledges that “these prospects are getting calls at 7.30 in the morning and in the hundreds and across days.”
Elsewhere the complaint alleges:
The Agency employs agents who publicly brand themselves around cold calling, has its CEO explicitly seek to acquire high-volume calling capacity (“I need that rainmaker… the cold calling… fill that gap”), and has the CEO’s daughter endorse coaching programs teaching expired listing cold calling. When the CEO seeks “the cold calling” from an agent who brands himself as “The Cold Call Coach,” makes 100,000 calls per year, and sells a course called “Turn Calls Into Cash” teaching “ethical persuasion hacks” to achieve “seven-figure GCI,” the CEO demonstrates knowledge of exactly what practices he is acquiring.
Eesh.
Just goes to show the dangers of living an excessively public personal life. All of these little trinkets of pride and promotion can be used very effectively in court. Its all admissible. And the Agency looks to be in a lot of trouble here since their agent allegedly was leaving PRERECORDED VOICEMAILS without consent.
Not good at all.
The complaint seeks to represent two classes:
Pre-recorded No Consent Class: All persons in the United States who
from four years prior to the filing of this action through class certification
(1) the Defendant or an agent on Defendant’s behalf called on their
cellular telephone number (2) using an artificial or pre-recorded voice.
Do Not Call Registry Class: All persons in the United States who from
four years prior to the filing of this action through class certification (1)
Defendant called more than one time, (2) within any 12-month period,
(3) where the person’s residential telephone number had been listed on
the National Do Not Call Registry for at least thirty days, (4) to promote
Defendant’s services.
The suit is filed in federal court in central California. We will keep an eye on it.
And Troutman Amin, LLP lawyers may not be reality TV stars, but we are stars in reality. Get us on your side before prices jump January 1, 2026!
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Chat soon.
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