CFPB Asks FCC to Allow Robocalls from Banks About Financial Relief Programs Related to the Coronavirus Crisis

In an unusual move relative to its customary stance on such issues, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has requested that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ease restrictions on the use of automated phone calls by banks and financial institutions in order to communicate with consumers about the various financial relief programs and services available … Continue reading CFPB Asks FCC to Allow Robocalls from Banks About Financial Relief Programs Related to the Coronavirus Crisis

Court Awards $89 Million Attorney Fee in TCPA Case

Throughout the various ups and downs of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation, federal and state regulatory actions, and precedent-setting court decisions, one of the few consistent truths is that plaintiff attorneys make money hand over fist. A recent case strongly reinforces that truth, with a court entering an order approving a fee of nearly… Continue reading Court Awards $89 Million Attorney Fee in TCPA Case

District Court Rejects Argument That Ringless Voicemail Not Covered by TCPA

A district court in Florida delivered the latest in a series of rulings that undermine the argument that ringless voicemail is not covered by Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) regulations. The court in the case—Gurzi v. Penn Credit, Case No: 6:19-cv-823-Orl-31EJK, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 56582 (M.D. Fl. March 30, 2020)—rejected the defendant’s motion for… Continue reading District Court Rejects Argument That Ringless Voicemail Not Covered by TCPA

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.

Court Dismisses Vicarious Liability Claim in TCPA Class Action

Gig economy courier colossus Postmates received a favorable ruling from a district court within the Ninth Circuit in a recent Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action. Rogers v. Postmates Inc., Case No. 19-cv-05619-TSH, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36626 (N.D. Cal. March 3, 2020) revolved around vicarious liability claims that the court did not find… Continue reading Court Dismisses Vicarious Liability Claim in TCPA Class Action