On April 11, DIRECTV filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court in Portland against Korey Lewis for illegally broadcasting satellite television at Pier 1 Pizza in Boothbay Harbor.

DIRECTV claims that Lewis intentionally signed up for its service at the lower residential customer rate then used the service at the Wharf Street pub. DIRECTV seeks compensation for damages that range as high as $100,000.

Lewis claims he never intended to mislead DIRECTV. He said DIRECTV has been in use at Pier 1 Pizza for at least nine years and he is confused by the recent assertion by DIRECTV that he has misrepresented its use.

“The service has been billed to Pier 1 Pizza’s address, it’s been made to Pier 1 Pizza and it has mostly been paid by a Pier 1 check,” Lewis said.

Lewis said his first knowledge of the problem was last September when a representative of DIRECTV came to Pier 1, took photographs and told Lewis he was in violation. Lewis said he asked then what he could do to rectify the situation and was told it was too late.

“If someone had told me nine years ago what I needed to do to make this right, I would have done it,” he said.

Lewis said DIRECTV was installed at the pub by a local contractor and that over the years technicians had serviced the equipment. He said he made no attempt to hide his commercial use of DIRECTV’s programming.

DIRECTV Director of Public Relations Robert Mercer wrote in an email that the company had sent Lewis numerous letters over the years asking if his use was commercial or residential.

“We gave the defendant ample opportunities to settle this,” Mercer wrote.

Mercer also wrote that the only addresses on DIRECTV’s records for Lewis are his residential address and a P.O. Box.

Lewis said he never saw the requests to declare his use as commercial or residential. “I pay a lot of bills; I don’t read every bit of every piece of propaganda they send. I’ve never been contacted, except by their lawyer.”

Lewis said DIRECTV’s attorney offered to settle the case out of court for $15,000, but he is inclined to respond to the lawsuit in court.

The case is currently pending. In the meantime, Pier 1 Pizza has contracted with Time Warner Cable.

Sue Mello can be reached at 207-844-4629 or sumello@boothbayregister.com.