For the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) in Van Buren v. United States, No. 19-783. A federal circuit split exists on the issue of whether the statute can only be...more
For the first time, the Supreme Court has agreed to review the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). The Court’s initial review of the CFAA comes in the wake of a federal circuit split as to whether the statute can only be...more
The FCC recently issued a declaratory ruling explaining what calls and text message alerts it viewed as “emergency” for purposes of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Under TCPA, requirements to obtain consent to make...more
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) generally prohibits automated calls, including text messages, to cell phones without sufficient prior express consent, and imposes a statutory penalty of $500 to $1,500 per...more
3/29/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
Emergency Alerts ,
Exemptions ,
FCC ,
Hospitals ,
Public Safety ,
Robocalling ,
State of Emergency ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages
The Seventh Circuit has recently joined the Second, Third, Sixth and Eleventh Circuits in adopting a narrow interpretation of Automatic Telephone Dialing System (ATDS) under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), one...more
3/3/2020
/ Appeals ,
AT&T ,
ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Robocalling ,
Split of Authority ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Text Messages
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently published a set of observations designed to assist financial market participants. While not legally binding, the observations are guideposts for investment companies, securities...more
At the end of the Supreme Court’s most recent term, the Court released its long-awaited ruling in PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic, Inc., 139 S. Ct. 2051 (June 20, 2019)—a case that could have carried...more
9/4/2019
/ Administrative Orders ,
Administrative Procedure ,
Appellate Courts ,
Binding Precedent ,
Dismissals ,
Due Process ,
Exclusive Jurisdiction ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Interpretive Rule ,
Judicial Review ,
Legislative Rule ,
PDR Network LLC v Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Set-Asides ,
TCPA ,
Unsolicited Advertisements ,
Unsolicited Faxes ,
Vacated
A recent decision by the Eleventh Circuit will make it more difficult for plaintiffs to establish standing to sue under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). In Salcedo v. Hanna, et al., Case No. 17-14077, 2019 U.S....more
In Nielen-Thomas v. Concorde Investment Servs., LLC, No. 18-2875, 2019 WL 302766 (7th Cir. Jan. 24, 2019), the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that the Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act...more
1/30/2019
/ Appeals ,
Class Action ,
Class Members ,
De Novo Standard of Review ,
Dismissals ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Misrepresentation ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Transactions ,
SLUSA ,
State Law Claims
On Election Day 2018, in the State that boasts the official motto of “Live Free or Die,” over 80% of New Hampshire voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the State Constitution enshrining an explicit “right to...more
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court decided to review a case that potentially carries far reaching ramifications for litigation under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), which places restrictions on phone and fax...more
11/16/2018
/ Advertising ,
Appeals ,
Chevron Deference ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Dismissals ,
FCC ,
Hobbs Act ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Reversal ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
TCPA ,
Telemarketing ,
Unsolicited Faxes
In the recent case of Marks v. Crunch San Diego, LLC, 904 F.3d 1041 (9th Cir. 2018) the Ninth Circuit broadly interpreted the TCPA’s definition of automatic telephone dialing system (often referred to as ATDS) to include...more
Class action plaintiffs’ attorneys may argue that a recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit expands the scope of liability under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) to include calls or text messages sent on all modern...more
10/29/2018
/ Appeals ,
ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Cell Phones ,
Class Action ,
FCC ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Robocalling ,
Smartphones ,
Statutory Penalties ,
Summary Judgment ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Text Messages
In a victory for online retailers, a New York federal court recently dismissed three putative class action lawsuits brought on behalf of website visitors whose mouse clicks, keystrokes, and electronic communications were...more
Have the GOP’s Hopes for Enacting the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act Been Dashed? – Passed in March 2017 by the U.S. House of Representatives, the Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017, H.R. 985, has...more
3/1/2018
/ Article III ,
Ascertainable Class ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Cell Phones ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Credit Unions ,
Declaratory Rulings ,
Equitable Relief ,
FCC ,
Federal Rule 12(b)(1) ,
FRCP 23 ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Predominance Requirement ,
Prior Express Consent ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Robocalling ,
Spokeo v Robins ,
Standing ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Summary Judgment ,
Superiority Claims ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages ,
The Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2015 ,
Vaccinations ,
Written Consent
The Ninth Circuit recently issued its long-awaited opinion in Robins v. Spokeo, Inc., — F.3d —-, 2017 WL 3480695 (9th Cir. Aug. 15, 2017), on remand from the United States Supreme Court. Once again, the Ninth Circuit reversed...more
As the Rolling Stones famously sing, “You can’t always get what you want.” And in the ever treacherous world of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), 47 U.S.C. § 227, et seq., the Second Circuit has ruled that means...more
One of the great scourges for retail companies in the digital age has been the ever-present threat of massive data breaches by hackers attempting to steal millions of consumers ’debit and credit card information.
In...more
In Campbell-Ewald v. Gomez, 136 S. Ct. 663 (Jan. 20, 2016), the Supreme Court resolved a split among courts and held that an unaccepted settlement offer of complete individual relief does not moot the plaintiff’s lawsuit. ...more
4/25/2016
/ Allstate ,
Campbell Ewald v Gomez ,
Class Action ,
Class Certification ,
Class Representatives ,
Escrow Accounts ,
Mootness ,
Offer of Judgment ,
Rule 68 ,
SCOTUS ,
Settlement Offer ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
TCPA
On January 20, 2016, in a highly anticipated decision (see October 27, 2015 blog) that will have implications for class action practice nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an unaccepted offer of judgment sufficient...more
Although not explicitly stated in the text of Rule 23, for several decades courts have held that a putative class must be clearly defined and based on objective criteria as prerequisites to class certification. Courts and...more
In Americana Art China Company, Inc. v. Foxfire Printing & Packaging, Inc., 743 F.3d 243 (7th Cir. Feb. 18, 2014), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s attorneys’ fees award in a...more
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227, et seq. (“TCPA”), prohibits “robo-calls” to cell phones, text messages and “junk” faxes without prior consent. It imposes statutory penalties from $500 to $1,500 per...more