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 three–day 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
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
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission jointly filed an amicus brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Bock v. Pressler & Pressler, LLP. In the case, a U.S. district court previously ruled that a debt collection law firm violated the Fair Debt Collection
On August 11, the Federal Communications Commission handed down a $2.96 million fine against Travel Club Marketing Inc., related entities, and owner Olen Miller (collectively “Travel Club”), the largest fine in FCC history related to autodialed calls. The fine stems from allegations that the companies violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act in their telemarketing efforts,