T-Mobile Awarded $25K in Dollar Store Dispute

(CN) – A federal judge in Dallas awarded T-Mobile $25,000 in punitive damages against Sam’s One Dollar Store for reselling deactivated T-Mobile phones as “new.”     In violation of trademark law, Sam’s One Dollar Store deprogrammed and modified several T-Mobile phones and resold them “under the T-Mobile trademark for unauthorized use outside of the T-Mobile wireless system,” the ruling states.     U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor granted T-Mobile’s motion for default judgment and permanent injunction against Sam’s One Dollar Store, noting that owners Noushad Mian and Shazia Noushad Mian never showed up in court or responded to the lawsuit in any way.      Without proof of hardship or accident preventing Sam’s One Dollar Store from fighting T-Mobile’s lawsuit, Judge O’Connor concluded that a default judgment was reasonable.