On January 9, the district court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed a pro se plaintiff’s TCPA lawsuit for failure to properly allege that the defendants used an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS) when placing calls to the plaintiff.
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper
In Kannon v. Warranty Protection Services, the plaintiff alleged that the auto warranty defendants placed a sales call from a spoofed phone number to his cell phone using an ATDS. He further alleged that the defendants provided opt-in information through an affiliate marketing network that sent three unsolicited text messages to him.
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper
Applying several cases from the Second Circuit as precedent, the district court held that the plaintiff failed to raise an inference that the defendants used an ATDS, a requisite for TCPA claims. The court further found that the plaintiff failed to establish the relationship between defendants and the affiliate marketing network. Additionally, since the text messages were not sent by “short code” phone numbers, nor did the plaintiff describe the content of the messages, the court held there was “no way to determine whether an ATDS was used.” The court concluded the plaintiff’s TCPA claim must be dismissed as he did not adequately describe the content of the calls or allege a volume of calls that would raise an inference that the defendants used an ATDS.
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper
Notwithstanding the above, the court did provide the plaintiff the opportunity to remedy his complaint given his pro se status, advising that a successful amended complaint would require him to plead specific facts about: (1) the relationship between the defendants and the affiliate marketing network; and (2) how the defendants communicated using an ATDS.
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper
While the court did not further explore whether the opt-in text messages the plaintiff received constituted TCPA…
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper
..
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper
Second Circuit Dismisses TCPA Case For Failure To Plead Use Of An ATDS | Troutman Pepper