After a delay due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in a case—William P. Barr, et al. v. American Association of Political Consultants, et al.—that could very well result in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) being ruled unconstitutional. We offer you a summary of these oral arguments based… Continue reading Supreme Court Finally Hears Oral Arguments in TCPA Case
Tag: Automatic Telephone Dialing System
Collections Compliance: the Laws that Govern the Collections Industry
Both telemarketing and debt collection are, quite literally, risky businesses. Both fields are highly regulated, governed by complex legislation, and subject to potentially expensive penalties and litigation. Compliance in either field is complicated enough on its own but compliance for debt collectors who use telephone solicitation in order to conduct their business imposes difficulties to an extent beyond the mere sum of the complexities of either field on its own.
Second Circuit Follows Broad ATDS Definition from Marks
In the ongoing saga of what sorts of dialing technology is considered an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS)—and thus subject to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act’s (TCPA) regulations on autodialers—the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has bucked recent trends and adopted the precedent of the Ninth Circuit’s extremely broad ATDS definition from 2018’s Marks v.… Continue reading Second Circuit Follows Broad ATDS Definition from Marks
Two Courts Reject Excel Sheet ATDS Argument
On consecutive days last week, two different district courts in two different circuits handed down rulings in two different Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) cases that rejected a common argument that would have essentially rendered any computer-based dialer as an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS). One case—Decapua v. Metro. Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., C.A.… Continue reading Two Courts Reject Excel Sheet ATDS Argument
PETA Faces TCPA Class Action for Text Messages Advertising Fake Meat
A recent complaint filed in the Southern District of California accuses the animal rights, nonprofit organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) by sending automated text messages promoting the meat substitute Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat is also named as a defendant in the class action.… Continue reading PETA Faces TCPA Class Action for Text Messages Advertising Fake Meat
The TCPA During the Coronavirus Pandemic
The current, novel coronavirus pandemic that is spreading COVID-19 is causing massive upheaval worldwide. For telemarketers, this is creating uncertainty as to how regulations such as the TCPA and state laws dictate what sorts of calls are allowed during such a period of emergency.
Florida Court Rules that Twilio’s Texting Platform is Not an ATDS
In a potentially significant decision, a Florida district court ruled that a prominent text message platform is not an Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Twilio is not the defendant in the class action—Northrup v. Innovative Health Ins. Partners, LLC, Case No: 8:17-cv-1890-T-36JSS, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31851 (M.D.… Continue reading Florida Court Rules that Twilio’s Texting Platform is Not an ATDS
Bank Hit with Near-$200,000 Judgment for TCPA Violations
The Southern District of New York Court rendered a costly judgment against the defendant in Jiminez v. Credit One Bank, N.A., No. 17 CV 2844-LTS-JLC, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 203613 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 22, 2019): $197,000 for 380 calls that violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Interestingly, 42 of those calls were made to a… Continue reading Bank Hit with Near-$200,000 Judgment for TCPA Violations
Class Members in Recent TCPA Settlement Receive Pittance While Lawyers Profit Handsomely
Class members in a recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action settlement—Charvat v. Valente, No. 12-cv-05746, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 187225 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 28, 2019)—each received approximately 2.5% of the payout that they were originally promised. The case involved three cruise lines and a travel agency who were accused of using an automated… Continue reading Class Members in Recent TCPA Settlement Receive Pittance While Lawyers Profit Handsomely
Plaintiff in Holiday Message TCPA Suit Gets Caught Venue Shopping
An Arizona District Court granted a motion to have a recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action transferred to another district court in a case that emphasizes the important differences between different circuits with regards to TCPA case law and Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) definitions. The case—Kempton v. Life for Relief & Dev.,… Continue reading Plaintiff in Holiday Message TCPA Suit Gets Caught Venue Shopping