On July 10, the Federal Communications Commission issued an omnibus order laying out its interpretation of numerous provisions of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. The reach and expanse of this Order promises to change the landscape of TCPA litigation for years to come. As a general matter, the FCC took a broad view of the
Class Actions
Troutman Sanders Adds Partner with Seasoned Experience to Privacy and Financial Services Litigation Practices
Troutman Sanders LLP announced today that Ronald I. Raether, Jr. has joined the firm as a partner in the Orange County office and will play a significant role in both the firm’s Cybersecurity, Information Governance and Privacy and Financial Services Litigation practices. He joins the firm from Faruki Ireland & Cox P.L.L, where he led…
Avoid Becoming the Next Target of a Class Action Taking Aim at Employers’ Background Screening Forms
Last week, a Florida district court approved a class action settlement between Whole Foods Market Group Inc. and an employee class related to Whole Foods’ inclusion of a waiver and liability release in its Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) disclosure form. This settlement, as well as other recent lawsuits and decisions, are reminders to employers …
Federal Judge Tosses TCPA Lawsuit Against Telemarketer on Behalf of Charity
A new federal court decision provides important guidance to nonprofits and their vendors in using automatic dialers to place fundraising calls. On September 21, Judge Matthew Leitman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan granted summary judgment in favor of Defendant DialAmerica Marketing, Inc. (“DialAmerica”), a telemarketer making calls on …
7th Circuit Rejects Neiman Marcus’ Request for Rehearing over Standing in Data Breach Class Action Suit
On September 17, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear an appeal it decided against Neiman Marcus over a payment card data breach, leaving in place the precedential ruling that held plaintiffs can sue for the trouble and expense of preventing fraud on their accounts.
The decision stems from a class action suit…
Whole Foods Becomes Most Recent Retailer to Settle FCRA Background Check Lawsuit
On September 15, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida preliminarily approved a Fair Credit Reporting Act background check class action settlement in Speer v. Whole Foods Market Group, Inc. We previously wrote about this lawsuit on the Consumer Financial Services Law Monitor blog here. The settlement adds Whole Foods …
FDIC Obtains $64 Million Penalty Against Comenity Bank for Credit Card Add-Ons
On September 8, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation announced that it had ordered Comenity LLC to pay nearly $64 million in civil money penalties and restitution for alleged deceptive advertising and marketing of credit card add-ons, in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Comenity LLC manages credit card programs for several …
Oneida Tribe Wins Dismissal of FACTA Class Action on Sovereignty Grounds
On September 4, the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin won dismissal of a putative class action alleging that it printed expiration dates and more than the last five digits of credit cards on receipts at its retail stores. In Jeremy Meyers, et al. v. Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin (Civil Action No. 1:15-cv-00445, …
California Federal Court Deals with Statute of Limitations for FCRA Claims in Background Screening Claims
In June, a former employee filed a class action complaint against Kohl’s Department Stores alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and California’s Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) and Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA). Kohl’s filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that the claims were time-barred under the FCRA’s two-year …
11th Circuit Holds Providing Number Equals Consent Under TCPA
In Murphy v. DCI Biologicals Orlando LLC, No. 14-10414, 2015 U.S. App. LEXIS 14632 (11th Cir. Aug. 20, 2015), the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a proposed class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, holding that the plaintiff consented to receive text messages when he provided his …