On November 2, President Obama signed a two-year budget deal recently passed by Congress, which generated considerable press because it averted legislative battles over the debt limit and a potential government shutdown, at least until 2017. Much less attention was paid to other provisions within the legislation, which includes a modification of the Telephone Consumer

On October 27, the United States Senate passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) by a vote of 74-21.  CISA claims to improve cybersecurity by encouraging the sharing of threat information among companies and the U.S. Government. 

As previously reported here, CISA would permit private entities to share cyber threat

In July 2015, several companies that were the targets of non-public Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigations sued the Bureau after it refused to allow their current counsel to attend the Bureau’s investigative testimony of one of the companies’ former attorneys.  The companies wanted one of their current attorneys to attend the testimony and assert the

On October 20, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit delivered its opinion in Ybarra v. DISH Network, LLC (“DISH”), a case involving alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits callers from using an automatic telephone dialer system (“ATDS”) and delivering messages with an “artificial or prerecorded voice” without

SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. – Troutman Sanders LLP announced today that Hsiao (Mark) C. Mao has joined the firm as a partner in the San Francisco office. He is a member of the firm’s Cybersecurity, Information Governance and Privacy practice. He joins the firm from Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, where he was a Co-Chair of the

According to remarks made by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) Director Richard Cordray on October 7, 2015 (and a subsequent press release), the CFPB is planning to issue regulations that would prohibit many financial services companies from requiring consumers to waive their right to bring a class action lawsuit via a pre-dispute arbitration agreement

Federal Trade Commissioner Julie Brill promoted the FTC’s role as the nation’s leading consumer protection and privacy agency with respect to Internet, social media, and smartphone technology in two recent speeches occurring over a threeday span.  In both speeches, Brill referenced and reiterated the FTC’s concerns regarding data collection, the interface of

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

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

On September 11, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced a crackdown on Virginia’s car-title loan industry.  Car-title loans are made to borrowers who sign over their car titles as collateral, and are commonly made to individuals with poor credit histories in need of fast cash.  Herring claims that such loans “are trapping a lot of