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posted 8 years ago
The number of Telephone Consumer Protection
Act (“TCPA”) lawsuits has grown significantly in recent years, with several
thousand cases filed annually. Any
business that contacts customers or potential customers via telephone, text or
facsimile, or engages a third party to do so on its behalf, is almost certainly
on the radar screen of TCPA class action law firms. The steps that such businesses take now may well
prevent them from getting named in a TCPA case.
Alternatively, if named, having taken proactive steps well in advance of
suit will maximize their prospects of achieving a positive outcome.
What
is the TCPA?
The TCPA was enacted in 1991 and, with some
exceptions, allows individuals to file lawsuits (including class actions) to
collect damages based upon receipt of certain telemarketing calls, including pre-recorded
and/or autodialed telephone calls, (SMS) text messages and faxes.
The TCPA allows for actual damages, or
statutory damages ranging from $500 to $1,500, per unsolicited call, text
message or fax. In light of its exacting
standards and exceedingly high statutory penalties, the TCPA remains the
subject of one of the most active areas of class action litigation in the
country. The October 16, 2013
amendments, together with the recent, overly-expansive interpretation of the
TCPA by the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), have further motivated
TCPA class action plaintiffs. The following
is a list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to help businesses succeed in – or better yet,
avoid – a TCPA lawsuit.
DO’S
1)
DO work with
experienced TCPA counsel before beginning a marketing campaign. A penny of prevention is worth a pound of
cure. No doubt, many companies and
individuals that have been hit with multi-million dollar TCPA lawsuits in the
past few years would eagerly go back in time and spend a few hours each month
working with experienced TCPA counsel.
2)
DO follow the regulations
closely. TCPA lawsuits are preventable. There are some bright-line rules that must be
followed, while other provisions are more nuanced. Many marketers mistakenly believe common
sense will be enough to comply with the TCPA.
However, TCPA compliance requires knowledge of the statute itself, as
well as developing case law and FCC declaratory rulings. Mere technical non-compliance with the TCPA
alone has resulted in multi-million dollar judgments against, and settlements
by, many companies.
3)
DO choose your marketing
partners carefully. Advertisers that
allow third parties to place telemarketing calls or send texts or faxes on
their behalf stand a substantial chance of being held liable for violations of
the TCPA. Also, it is critical that
businesses be sure the leads they receive are 100% valid and that their lead
generator partners can demonstrate that they received express written consent
to place the call(s) at issue.
4)
DO have strong indemnity
agreements in place. Because sellers can
never know with 100% certainty how their third-party marketing partners or lead
generators will conduct their respective businesses, it is critical to have
ironclad indemnity provisions in place.
This is not a failsafe. However,
it is certainly better to have this potential pool of defense funds available than
to not have it.
5)
DO protect the
business’ officers, directors and employees.
Individuals are potentially liable for TCPA violations, even when a
lawful corporate structure is in place.
This can be financially devastating to the affected individuals. Having strong policies and procedures in
place to prevent TCPA violations, and being able to demonstrate that the
individuals at risk worked with counsel to prevent violations, is
critical. In addition, having proper insurance
coverage in place, both for the company and for acts/omissions of the
individuals, is key.
DON’TS
1)
DON’T panic if named
in a TCPA lawsuit. There are many
potential defenses to a TCPA action. Experienced
TCPA counsel should be able to identify and assert all available defenses. Better yet, a business that has been working
with TCPA compliance counsel may be in a much better position to have the case
dismissed altogether when its lawful practices are demonstrated to plaintiff’s
counsel.
2)
DON’T rely on the
current case law as dispositive. Case law
relating to the TCPA is being supplemented and molded on an almost daily
basis. For example, many courts are
questioning whether the FCC’s overly broad definition of autodialer comports
with common sense or the intent and clear wording of the statute.
3)
DON’T speak directly with
the adversary. Relying upon the honor and good faith of a law firm that is
suing you is a very poor strategy. Business practices that appear to be proper,
and that peers engage in, may in fact be the basis of the plaintiff’s
claim. Discussing these business
practices with an adversary may simply confirm the plaintiff’s case and serve
as a clear admission of wrongdoing.
4)
DON’T issue a press
release. Not only may public declarations
of innocence highlight business practices that may be at issue, press releases may
also bring additional class action law firms forward in a race to the
courthouse. This may simply compound the
difficulty of obtaining dismissal and increase litigation costs
significantly.
5)
DON’T speak with employees,
marketing partners, advertisers or other industry contacts until after speaking
with an experienced attorney. Information
discussed or shared with any of the above may be discoverable by plaintiff and
may ultimately harm the defense.
Moreover, upon learning of the case filing or potential filing, some of
the above individuals and/or entities may have incentive to work with the plaintiff
to avoid being named as a party.
6)
DON’T create/destroy
documents. Document tampering or
spoliation will generally be uncovered during the discovery portion of the
action. Such activities may create a basis for sanctions or even lead the
court to strike critical defenses that would have been otherwise
available.
The Real Way to Win A TCPA Case – Avoid Being
Named Altogether
Of course, the surest way to succeed in any
TCPA action or regulatory investigation is obviously to never appear on the
radar screen in the first place. Sellers and telemarketers not currently
working with experienced telemarketing and Internet marketing counsel versed in
the intricacies and nuances of the TCPA are almost certainly at risk. Moreover, in-house and other corporate
counsel should honestly assess how familiar they are with the intricacies and
nuances of the TCPA and whether consulting with counsel experienced in TCPA
compliance best serves and protects their clients’ interests. Proper compliance is the only sure-fire way to
succeed in a TCPA lawsuit.
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