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Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) on its own motion released a Declaratory Ruling to confirm that the COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an “emergency” under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”); as a consequence, hospitals, health care providers, state and local health officials, and other government officials may lawfully communicate through automated or prerecorded calls (which include text messages) information about the coronavirus and mitigation measures to mobile telephone numbers and certain other numbers (such as those of first responders) without “prior express consent.”

By way of background, absent “prior express consent,” the TCPA prohibits the transmission of an automated or prerecorded call to any mobile telephone number.  However, this prohibition is subject to an “emergency purposes” exception.  The TCPA does not define what constitute “emergency purposes,” but the FCC’s rules construe the term to mean “calls made necessary in any situation affecting the health and safety of consumers.”…
Continue Reading FCC Clarifies that COVID-19 “Emergency Purposes” Calls/Text are Not Subject to “Prior Express Consent” Requirement

Last week, the Seventh Circuit issued a decision in Physicians Healthsource, Inc., v. A-S Medication Solutions, LLC, a case that could have important implications for fax marketing.  The court found that the consent required under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to send an unsolicited fax advertisement must satisfy highly specific standards and potentially cannot be transferred as part of a corporate transaction.
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Continue Reading Seventh Circuit TCPA Decision Imposes Potentially Restrictive Consent Standard for Faxes

The Seventh Circuit has issued a unanimous decision in Gadelhak v. AT&T Services, adopting a narrow interpretation of a key definitional term in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).  This decision is in line with a recent ruling from the Eleventh Circuit (which we analyzed here) but departs from the Ninth Circuit’s approach—deepening a circuit split that increases the possibility the Supreme Court will review the issue.
Continue Reading Seventh Circuit Adopts Narrow Interpretation of TCPA Autodialer Definition, Deepening Circuit Split

The Eleventh Circuit has issued a decision in Glasser v. Hilton Grand Vacations Company that rejects an expansive interpretation of a key definitional term in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)—an interpretation that has been embraced by the Ninth Circuit.  The decision therefore creates a circuit split that could increase the possibility the Supreme Court…

The California Supreme Court has agreed to take up the question of whether a commercial general liability policy that covers “personal injury”—which, in relevant part, is defined as injury that arises out of a violation of an individual’s “right of privacy”—triggers the insurer’s duty to defend the insured against a claim that the insured violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”).  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit certified this question to the California Supreme Court on January 16, 2019.
Continue Reading California Supreme Court Case to Address Scope of TCPA Insurance Coverage