CEB Prac. Guide § 2B.05: "Call" Defined -- Text Messages

In Weisbein v. Allergan, Inc., No. 8:20-cv-00801-SSS-ADSx, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 217844, at *4-7 (C.D. Cal. Dec. 2, 2022), Judge Sykes granted summary judgment to a TCPA defendant in text message class action. The crux of Plaintiff's claims is that Defendants sent automated text messages that violated the TCPA, specifically § 227(b)(1)(A) of the TCPA, which prohibits calls made using… Read More

In Risher v. Adecco Inc., No. 19-cv-05602-RS, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 209676 (N.D. Cal. Nov. 18, 2022), Judge Seaborg dismissed an evolving theory that text messages can be a pre-recorded voice under the TCPA. In the absence of express consent, section 47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(1)(A)(iii) of the TCPA, and its implementing regulations at 47 CFR § 64.1200(a)(2), prohibit non-emergency calls… Read More

In Soliman v. Subway Franchisee Advert. Fund Tr., Ltd., No. 3:19-cv-592 (JAM), 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 126468, at *6-8 (D. Conn. July 18, 2022), Judge Meyer disposed of the argument that Subway's text message software was an ATDS. And under Soliman's reading, the Act would probably cover much more than mass dialing. As she admits, sequential number generation is "an… Read More

In Moskowitz v. Am. Sav. Bank, F.S.B., No. 20-15024, 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 16016, at *8 (9th Cir. June 10, 2022) Moskowitz argues the district court erred in granting summary judgment for ASB because ASB did not have the consent required under the TCPA to send the responsive text messages to Moskowitz. We have already determined that the type of… Read More

In Eggleston v. Reward Zone USA LLC, No. 2:20-cv-01027-SVW-KS, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20928, at *11-14 (C.D. Cal. Jan. 28, 2022), Judge Wilson dismissed a TCPA "pre-recorded voice" case premised on the theory that the standard text messages that she received did not constitute a "voice" under the TCPA. Plaintiff also alleges that Defendant's text messages violated § 227(b) because… Read More

In Massaro v. Beyond Meat, Inc., No. 3:20-cv-00510-AJB-MSB, 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 46980, at *15-20 (S.D. Cal. Mar. 12, 2021), Judge Battaglia allowed a TCPA claim to proceed against PETA because their texts endorsing Beyond Meat constituted advertisements. Here, PETA appears to argue there is a blanket exemption for non-profit organizations, (Doc. No. 30-1 at 19-22), while Plaintiff contends PETA's… Read More

In Northrup v. Innovative Health Ins., No. 8:17-cv-1890-T-36JSS, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 31851, at *12-21 (M.D. Fla. Feb. 25, 2020), Judge Honeywell granted summary judgment to a TCPA defendant. The Eleventh Circuit's holding that a device qualifies as an ATDS only if it uses a random or sequential number generator resolved a large part of the consolidated appeals. One of… Read More

In Bauman v. Saxe, No. 2:14-cv-01125-RFB-PAL, 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23351 (D. Nev. Feb. 13, 2019), Judge Boulware found that a TCPA plaintiff stated a claim against Twilio, who allegedly transmitted telemarking text messages in violation of the TCPA.  The facts alleged were as follows: The Saxe Defendants are: David Saxe; David Saxe Productions, Inc.; David Saxe Productions, LLC; Saxe Management,… Read More

In Walintukan v. SBE Entertainment Group., LLC., 2018 WL 2357763, at *3 (N.D.Cal., 2018), Judge Tigar denied a TCPA defendant's summary judgment motion. Defendants argue that “the text messages involved in this case fall squarely within [the] scope of consent test articulated by the Court of Appeals in Van Patten — both from a temporal and a subject matter standpoint.”… Read More

In Kristensen v. Credit Payment Services, Inc., 2018 WL 343758, at *3 (C.A.9 (Nev.), 2018), the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that 3 lenders and 2 marketing companies were not vicariously liable for an illegal text messaging campaign. Under these settled principles, the district court did not err in concluding that Kristensen failed to raise a genuine issue… Read More

In San Pedro-Salcedo v. The Haagen-Dazs Shoppe Company, Inc., 2017 WL 4536422, at *2 (N.D.Cal., 2017), Judge Davila found that a confirming text may be, on the facts pleaded, an advertisement that triggers the TCPA. Defendants contend that the text is not advertising or telemarketing because it does not encourage Plaintiff to purchase property, goods or services. Plaintiff argues that the… Read More

In Lanteri v. Credit Protection Assocation, LP, 2017 WL 3621299, at *4 (S.D.Ind., 2017), Judge Lawrence refused to certify a TCPA "stop-texting" revocation of consent class action. The FCC has stated that “[c]onsumers have a right to revoke consent, using any reasonable method.” Federal Communications Commission Record, F.C.C. 15-72, 23, appeal docketed as ACA Int'l v. FCC, No. 15-1211 (D.C.C.… Read More

In Franklin v. DePaul University, No. 16 C 8612, 2017 WL 3219253 (N.D. Ill. July 28, 2017), Judge Lee allowed a TCPA text message claim to proceed past the pleading stage. DePaul nevertheless asks the Court to ignore Franklin's allegation that he never gave prior express consent, arguing that this allegation is a legal conclusion that “cannot withstand a motion to dismiss.”… Read More

In Wick v. Twilio, Inc., 2017 WL 2964855, at *4 (W.D.Wash., 2017), Judge Laznik found that Twilio might have used an ATDS, if it was Twilio who placed the call. Contrary to Twilio's argument, the FCC has not created a blanket rule immunizing from TCPA liability cloud-based service providers that transmit third-party content. Rather, the totality of the facts and… Read More

In Reichman v. Pshmark, Inc., 2017 WL 2104273, at *2–3 (S.D.Cal., 2017), the Court granted summary judgment on the basis that totality of the circumstances did not trigger the TCPA. In determining whether an app or its user is the maker of a call, the FCC explained that it looks to “the totality of the facts and circumstances surrounding the… Read More

In Blow v. Bijora, Inc., 2017 WL 1731494, at *6 (C.A.7 (Ill.), 2017), the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that the district court erred in granted summary judgment on the basis that no ATDS was used. Citing cases that predate the FCC's most recent rulings, Akira argues that Opt It's software must be able to dial random… Read More

In Flores v. Access Insurance Company, 2017 WL 986516, at *8 (C.D.Cal., 2017), Judge Snyder found that Plaintiff adequately pleaded use of an ATDS to send a text message and that the McCarran-Ferguson Act did not bar a TCPA Plaintiff's claim against the insurer.  Judge Snyder also said that dual purpose text messages can trigger the TCPA's written consent requirement.… Read More

In Hunsinger v. Gordmans, Inc., 2016 WL 7048895, at *5–6 (E.D.Mo., 2016), Magistrate Judge Nocel deferred summary judgment on whether an ATDS was used until there was further discovery undertaken. The question at issue is whether the mGage platform Gordmans used to send the text messages constitutes an ATDS. The TCPA defines an ATDS as “equipment which has the capacity… Read More

In Wick v. Twilio Inc., 2016 WL 6460316, at *2–3 (W.D.Wash., 2016), Judge Lasnik dismissed a TCPA Plaintiff's claim against Twilio on the basis that the Plaintiff consented to receive the text messages at issue. The parties disagree as to whether the text and call at issue qualifies as telemarketing. If the text and call do qualify as telemarketing, then… Read More

In Aderhold v. Car2Go N.A., LLC,  2016 WL 4709873 (9th Cir. 2016), the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that a TCPA plaintiff consented to receive texts messages as part of the registration process for a car-sharing program. Eric Aderhold appeals the district court's dismissal of his putative class action under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), 47 U.S.C.… Read More