Service
Batch TCPA Litigator Scrub
What is a batch litigator scrub?
Short answerA batch litigator scrub checks every number on a calling list, in one job, against a court-sourced database of people who repeatedly file Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits, and removes the matches before anyone dials. It runs in three steps: upload the list (CSV, Excel or PDF), cross-reference each number against the litigator database with line type and carrier looked up in the same pass, and download a clean file with the matches removed and the results appended. $0.20 per number, no subscription, and no SAN required. Landlines, VoIP and disconnected numbers come out too unless you choose litigators only, at the same price.
On this page
Most compliance spending goes toward avoiding violations. A batch litigator scrub is different: it is aimed at the small population that turns violations into money. They are not a random slice of your list -- they are the reason a technically minor mistake becomes a five-figure claim. If you are dialling a skip-traced list of a few thousand rows, this is the check with the most money attached to a miss.
How a batch litigator scrub works
- Upload. CSV, Excel or PDF, up to 10,000 rows. The phone column is detected automatically and every number is normalised to E.164, so the same line written five ways is screened once rather than five times.
- Cross-reference. Each number is matched against a court-sourced litigator database. In the same pass, carrier-level validation returns line type and carrier -- the two checks run in parallel, not sequentially.
- Download. Matches are removed, and on the full scrub so are landlines, VoIP and disconnected numbers. You get back a dialler-ready CSV of the surviving numbers with line type, carrier and activity score appended and every original column preserved, plus a dated screening record showing how many rows were removed and why.
You see the row count and exact cost before paying. No subscription, no integration work, and no minimum row count -- just a $5 minimum charge on very small lists.
What it checks and what comes back
A scrub is only as useful as the file it hands back, so here is exactly what each route returns.
| CSV job | API call | |
|---|---|---|
| Litigator match | Row removed and counted | isLitigator |
| Line type | line_type column | lineType |
| Carrier | carrier column | carrier |
| Activity | activity_score column | activityScore |
| Verdict | scrub_status column | outcome, keep |
| Your original columns | All preserved | -- |
| DNC registry | Not checked | dncEvaluated: false |
Note what the delivered file does not contain: a litigator column. Matches are removed rather than flagged, because a row you cannot legally afford to dial is not a row you want sitting in a dialler-ready file waiting for someone to filter it. On the full scrub, landlines, VoIP lines and disconnected numbers come out in the same pass for the same reason. What you get instead is the count, and a record of it.
Keep your landlines: litigators only
The full scrub is built for mobile campaigns, so it removes landlines, VoIP and disconnected numbers along with litigators. That is the wrong file if your team dials landlines by hand -- a skip-traced owner list, a B2B list, an aged seller list where the landline is the best number you have.
Choose Litigators only on the upload card and only known TCPA litigators come out. Every other answered row stays, landlines, VoIP and disconnected numbers included, with line_type, carrier and activity_score appended so you can order the dial yourself. It runs the same lookup, so it costs the same: $0.20 a number, $5 minimum, graduated past 2,000 rows.
- For: teams dialing landlines manually, B2B callers, and anyone whose dialer or CRM already handles line type.
- Not for: SMS campaigns. Texts need a mobile-only list, which is what the full scrub delivers.
- Still not DNC scrubbing. A landline you keep can still be on the Do Not Call Registry and is still subject to calling-hour rules.
Upload a list with litigators only selected. The first 20 rows preview free before you pay.
Why they pass every other check
This is the part that catches teams out. A serial filer's number is a real, active mobile line on a major carrier. It validates. It has a clean line type. It is deliverable. Every quality signal you would normally use says it is one of the better records in your file.
Practitioners who defend these claims describe a consistent operating pattern:
- Seeding. Numbers are deliberately entered into lead-generation forms, quote-comparison sites and contest entries, so they enter the lead economy and get resold into purchased lists.
- Multiple lines. Maintaining many numbers multiplies the opportunities, and cheap VoIP makes lines trivial to acquire.
- Meticulous records. Every call logged with time, caller ID and content -- often documented better than the caller's own consent records.
- Absence from the DNC registry. Registering would reduce inbound calls, which defeats the purpose.
That last point is why a DNC-only process is actively misleading. It removes the people who asked not to be called and retains the people who want to be called so they can sue.
The arithmetic
Screening a 5,000-number list costs $880. A single violation is $500, which a court may raise to up to $1,500 where it finds the violation willful or knowing -- more than the cost of screening the entire list, from one number. A filer who documents a campaign of repeated contacts turns that into a five-figure claim, before defence costs.
Run it from code or from an AI agent
The same check is available one number at a time. POST /v1/verify returns line type, carrier, an activity score and the litigator flag as isLitigator, at $0.20 a call against pre-paid credit with a $10 minimum top-up -- the rate a CSV row costs in its first 2,000 rows -- the same product through a different door, without the volume bands. A number that cannot be parsed is a successful answer and is not charged. See the developer documentation.
There is also an MCP server at numberbroom.com/mcp. It lets Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client that can send an API key header screen a number as a tool call, which is the practical way to put a litigator check inside an agent that is already qualifying leads.
Two boundaries worth stating plainly. There is no batch endpoint -- for a list, upload the file, or make one call per number concurrently. And neither route checks the National Do Not Call Registry; every API response carries dncEvaluated: false so an integration never has to infer coverage it has not got.
The screening record is half the value
The output file is what you dial. The screening record is what you produce later.
Every completed job writes a Record of compliance screening -- available at /certificate/{jobId} in your dashboard -- naming the file, the rows submitted, the rows screened, the date, and how many were removed as litigators, as landlines or VoIP, and as disconnected. A litigators-only record lists line-type removal under checks not performed, so a zero never reads as "checked, none found".
Being able to show that a list was screened against a litigator database on a specific date, before any dial, is a materially different position from arguing that your process would have caught it. Statutory damages may be trebled for willful or knowing violations, and the presence of a documented, dated screening step is exactly the kind of evidence that argues against that finding. It is worth keeping even for the numbers that passed.
What it does not do
We would rather set this out plainly than have you discover it later.
- It is not a guarantee. First-time filers are not in any database. This reduces exposure; it does not remove it.
- It is not DNC scrubbing. Registry access runs through your own SAN and remains your obligation as the seller. NumberBroom does not sell it. See the registry entry.
- It is not consent. No external file can tell you whether you have permission to call someone. Documented prior express written consent is a record only you can hold.
- It does not cover reassignment. A number that changed hands since consent was given is a separate problem -- see the Reassigned Numbers Database.
- It is not a bulk API. There is no batch endpoint. Lists go through the CSV route.
A litigator scrub is one control among several. It happens to be the one with the most money attached to a miss.
State statutes raise the stakes
Federal damages are not the whole exposure. Several states have their own telemarketing statutes with separate private rights of action, so a single call can be pleaded under federal and state law at once. Florida's additionally lets the prevailing party recover attorney fees, which is a large part of why it generates so many filings. See state mini-TCPA laws.
The filers know exactly which states those are.
Check a single number free, or see bulk pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run a batch litigator scrub on a whole CSV?
Yes -- that is the normal use. Upload a CSV or XLSX of up to 10,000 rows, the phone column is detected automatically, and every row is screened in one job. You see the exact cost before paying.
No integration is required for the CSV route. If you would rather call it from code, the REST API returns the same litigator flag one number per call, and an MCP server lets an AI agent run it as a tool. There is no batch endpoint, so a list is either one file upload or one call per number.
How much does a litigator scrub cost?
NumberBroom bundles it with carrier-level validation at $0.20 per number, no subscription -- a 5,000-row list is $880 for both checks, and a small list only pays the $5 minimum. Through the API it is $0.20 a lookup, the first band's rate, pre-paid, with a $10 minimum top-up.
The comparison that matters is the pricing model. Standalone litigator databases are typically sold as subscriptions -- as of 2026-08-14, TCPA Litigator List started at $199/month and Blacklist Alliance at $300 for a one-time block or $600/month recurring -- charged whether you scrub that month or not, in most cases. If you run campaigns in bursts, per-job pricing is usually far cheaper. See the full pricing comparison.
Can I remove litigators but keep my landlines?
Yes. Choose Litigators only on the upload card and only known TCPA litigators are removed. Landlines, VoIP and disconnected numbers stay in the file with their line type, carrier and activity score appended, so you can decide the dial order yourself.
It costs the same as the full scrub, because it runs the same lookup. It is not the right choice for SMS, which needs a mobile-only list. See keeping your landlines.
Is there a litigator scrub API?
Yes. POST /v1/verify takes one number and returns line type, carrier, an activity score and the litigator flag as isLitigator, at $0.20 a call against pre-paid credit with a $10 minimum top-up. An unparseable number is not charged. The developer documentation has the full response shape.
There is no batch endpoint, deliberately -- partial-failure semantics and per-item refunds are unsettled, so a list is one file upload or one call per number, run concurrently if you like. There is also an MCP server at numberbroom.com/mcp, which lets Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client that can send an API key header screen a number as a tool call.
Do I need a SAN to run a litigator scrub?
No. A Subscriber Account Number gates access to the National Do Not Call Registry, and a litigator scrub does not touch registry data -- it checks a database built from court filings. Nothing here requires a credential of your own.
That also means this is not DNC scrubbing, and registry access remains your obligation as the seller. See what a SAN actually gates.
Can I scrub a BatchLeads or PropStream export?
Yes. Upload the export as CSV or Excel -- the phone column is detected automatically and every other column comes back untouched, so the file still drops into whatever dialler or CRM you were going to load it into. A PDF export works too: its table is read back into columns, which you check on screen before paying.
Worth knowing if you already pay for a dialler that bundles a scrub: see how this compares to BatchDialer's built-in litigator scrub, including the part a removal-only scrub cannot tell you about a skip-traced list. For what BatchLeads itself screens before you export, and where that screen stops, see the comparison.
Where does the litigator data come from?
Public court filings. Federal and state TCPA complaints name plaintiffs and, in many cases, the numbers at issue. Vendors aggregate those filings, add known plaintiff-firm client lists, and update as new suits are filed.
It is a record of who has sued, which is what makes it useful and also what bounds it.
Does a litigator scrub guarantee I will not be sued?
No, and treat any vendor who says otherwise with suspicion. A first-time filer is by definition not in any database yet. Coverage is necessarily incomplete, so a litigator scrub reduces exposure rather than eliminating it.
What it also does is create a record that the number was screened before any dial. That is materially stronger evidence of a deliberate compliance process than asserting after the fact that you would have screened it -- and a documented process is part of what argues against a willfulness finding.
Is a litigator scrub the same as a DNC scrub?
No, and they are not substitutes. A DNC scrub checks the National Do Not Call Registry. A litigator scrub checks a court-sourced database of people who sue, and needs no SAN to run.
The two populations barely overlap -- serial filers are frequently not registered, because registering would reduce the calls they receive and the calls are the point. Running only a DNC scrub filters out the people least likely to sue you and leaves in the people most likely to. See the registry entry.
How often should I re-scrub?
Before each campaign. New suits are filed continuously, so a list screened three months ago has three months of new filers in it.