Over the last three years alone, energy, utility and solar companies have been targeted in numerous putative class actions alleging violations of the TCPA that resulted in several multimillion-dollar settlements totaling more...more
12/3/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Action ,
Energy Sector ,
FCC ,
New Guidance ,
Opt-Outs ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Settlement ,
Solar Energy ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Utilities Sector
More than a year has passed since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ended its supplemental comment period aimed at providing guidance on the definition of an “automatic telephone dialing system” (ATDS or autodialer)...more
On September 24, 2019, in response to a request for clarification by certain industry groups, the Indiana Attorney General’s Office issued a Memorandum of Legal Guidance (the “MLG”) confirming that the amendments to the...more
Insurance companies that do business in Indiana may be concerned that they are now required to register as a telephone solicitor with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office as a result of legislation that went into effect in...more
Does receipt of a single unsolicited text message amount to an “injury in fact” sufficient to establish Article III standing to bring a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuit? The Eleventh Circuit says, “no.”...more
A wave of new unclaimed property statutes and rules is changing whether and when businesses should escheat gift, payroll, loyalty, and other stored-value cards. Ten states have adopted new statutes or rules in this area over...more
8/25/2019
/ Amended Legislation ,
Audits ,
Customer-Loyalty Programs ,
Escheat ,
Gift-Cards ,
New Legislation ,
Payroll Cards ,
Retailers ,
State and Local Government ,
Unclaimed Property ,
Uniform Law Commission (ULC)
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) is one of the most frequently litigated statutes, spurring individual, and more often, national class action litigation. The pace at which new TCPA suits are filed is not slowing,...more
8/8/2019
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
PDR Network LLC v Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc ,
Private Right of Action ,
Remand ,
Robocalling ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Unsolicited Advertisements ,
Unsolicited Faxes
Although the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) may be most commonly known for its prohibitions on robocalls, text messages also fall within the TCPA’s broad scope. Given the outsize risk of class action TCPA litigation...more
Meeting the requirements of federal and state Do-Not-Call laws (DNC) is a key component of telemarketing compliance. The National Do-Not-Call Registry is a national database that permits consumers to register their telephone...more
Companies in consumer-facing industries face a continued wave of class action filings under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In 2018, TCPA lawsuits remained one of the most filed types of class actions in courts...more
1/10/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Class Action ,
Databases ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
TCPA ,
Third-Party Liability
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), approximately 100,000 cell phone numbers are reassigned in this country every day, resulting in millions of wireless numbers being reassigned each year. Reassigned...more
12/21/2018
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Databases ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
Spam ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages ,
Wireless Devices
Are courts bound by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rulings and orders in deciding Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) cases? The United States Supreme Court has agreed to take on a case raising this very issue. ...more
Whether and in what form a consumer has given consent to be contacted via an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) may be a crucial aspect of determining liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)....more
On October 3, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) instituted a brief, immediate, supplemental comment period as it seeks to resolve an issue at the heart of thousands of lawsuits filed under the Telephone Consumer...more
After four-plus years of litigation in a long-running dispute over unredeemed gift cards, a jury returned a verdict against Overstock.com, finding that the company violated the Delaware False Claims Act (FCA) by not reporting...more
Companies that market products through third-party agents or distributors face a particular risk under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) when their agents call, text or fax consumers without obtaining the necessary...more
8/14/2018
/ Advertising ,
Class Action ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dish Network ,
Faxes ,
FCC ,
Marketing ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Third-Party Liability ,
Unsolicited Faxes ,
Vicarious Liability
The payment of a traditional individual retirement account or annuity (IRA) over to a state unclaimed property fund will now be subject to federal tax withholding and reporting, according to Rev. Rul. 2018-17 released by the...more
“What is an autodialer?” The FCC wants to know what you think.
For years, the question of what constitutes an autodialer has confounded courts, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and companies that call and text...more
As promoters of cryptocurrencies and digital-asset exchanges face intense scrutiny from tax, securities and other financial services regulators, they will soon have to contend with unclaimed property (or escheat) laws in the...more
Legislation requiring the life insurance industry to conduct searches of the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File (DMF) and set the trigger for the escheatment dormancy period at the date of an insured’s death...more
Here are answers to many of the Frequently Asked Questions arising from the DC Circuit’s decision in ACA International.
TCPA R.I.P.? -
No. The DC Circuit struck down two of the FCC’s most controversial rules—the...more
4/5/2018
/ ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Cell Phones ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
Robocalling ,
Safe Harbors ,
Smartphones ,
TCPA
On March 22, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued its Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and is seeking comments on the intractable problem of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) liability...more
In a long-awaited ruling, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit trimmed the expansive scope of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The appellants, in ACA International v. Federal Communications Commission...more
3/23/2018
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Call Blocking ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
Exemptions ,
FCC ,
Mobile Devices ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Reassigned Phone Numbers ,
Revocation ,
Robocalling ,
Smartphones ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Text Messages ,
Wireless Devices
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to take a more active role in reviewing and objecting to class action settlements under a rarely used procedure established by the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) more than a dozen...more
Many companies employ third parties to assist with communications to consumers, or to market their products and services through semi-independent agents, brokers, or contractors. As a result, companies may face vicarious...more