On May 3, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed a lower court’s rejection of class certification in Sandusky Wellness Ctr., LLC v. Medtox Scientific, Inc., a case brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) relating to junk faxes sent by a lead testing company. In its opinion, the
U.S. Supreme Court Wounds Important Defense to TCPA Class Actions, Raising Already High TCPA Risks
On January 20, 2016, the United States Supreme Court issued an opinion that addresses a narrow procedural point with major implications for legal risks for companies under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez addresses whether a class action lawsuit under the TCPA can continue after the defendant makes the plaintiff an
FCC Files Responsive Brief in D.C. Circuit Appeal in Support of Controversial TCPA Order
On January 15, the Federal Communications Commission defended its controversial July 10, 2015 Order (the “Order”) expansively interpreting the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) in a 110-page brief filed in ACA International et al. v. FCC et al., where several consolidated challenges to the Order by businesses and trade groups are being heard in
The FCC Continues to Expand the Scope of the TCPA
On January 11, in Club Texting, Inc.’s Petition for a Declaratory Ruling, the Federal Communications Commission issued an Order that has the potential of increasing the scope of senders who can be liable for unwanted text messages under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”). In the process, the FCC doubled-down on its controversial July
Standing on Thin Air: Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins
On November 2, 2015, a sharply divided Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, where it considered whether Congress may confer Article III standing by authorizing a private right of action based on the violation of a federal statute alone, despite a plaintiff having suffered no concrete
FCC Continues to Expand Its TCPA Reach with E-Faxes
On August 28, the Federal Communications Commission issued a declaratory ruling holding that electronic faxes or “e-faxes” are covered by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act and the Junk Fax Protection Act. E-faxes are communications that originate as a fax, but are converted to electronic files during transmission and received as attachments to emails. This ruling
FCC Issues Sweeping Order Expanding Reach of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act
On Friday, July 10, the Federal Communications Commission enacted major changes and clarifications to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (“TCPA”). Approved on a contentious 3-2 vote by the FCC commissioners, the FCC released its Declaratory Ruling and Order (FCC 15-72) formally stating its interpretation of numerous provisions of TCPA.
The TCPA
FCC Announces New Chief Overseeing Telephone Consumer Protection Act
Starting June 1, Alison Kutler will be the new acting chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, the division of the Federal Communications Commission that oversees the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Kutler will replace current acting CGB bureau chief Kris Monteith who will remain at the FCC as deputy chief of the Wireline Competition
Dish Network Court Finds Manifest Error in Its Opinion Regarding Millions of Calls Placed by Third-Party Affiliates
On February 17, the Court in United States of America v. Dish Network, LLC reconsidered a portion of its opinion granting partial summary judgment for the United States for tens of millions of calls made by Dish Network in violation of state and federal telemarketing laws. The Court found that it erred by determining liability
FCC Creates Portal for TCPA Complaints and Beyond
On January 5, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it was creating a new complaint portal. As shown on the FCC form for complaints, which can be found here (Word format) and here (.pdf), this portal is very much designed to capture complaints arising from the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and, specifically, automatic telephone