On July 6, 2020, in a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the TCPA, but severed as unconstitutional the government debt exception.  William P. Barr et al. v. American Association of Political Consultants et al., Case No. 19-631 (2020).  Our preview of the Supreme Court’s consideration of the Barr case can be found here and our summary of the oral argument can be found here. Background When first enacted in 1991,…

Coronavirus testing and screening procedures are central to many companies’ return-to-work plans.  Because testing and screening data is often sensitive and may help to determine whether individuals are allowed to work, companies need to be aware of the privacy and security risks of collecting this data and protect it appropriately.  Failing to do so may lead to a backlash in the workplace, cause reputational damage, and invite scrutiny from regulators and plaintiffs’ attorneys. We have…

As covered in this blog post, on June 24, 2020, the Secretary of State of California announced that the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), had enough votes to be eligible for the November 2020 general election ballot. CPRA is a ballot initiative, which, if adopted, would amend and augment the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) to increase and clarify the privacy rights of California residents. The result is a law that is closer…

A California federal judge has dismissed a putative class action against Kellogg for failing to back up the plaintiff’s theory that Kellogg’s Bear Naked Granola V’nilla Almond does not include vanilla flavoring derived exclusively from vanilla beans. The plaintiff challenged the labeling of Bear Naked Granola V’nilla Almond as deceptive, claiming that the product’s labeling leads consumers to believe it contains vanilla flavor derived exclusively from vanilla beans when it actually does not.  To support the theory that consumers believe the…

On the same day that the FCC set a call blocking declaratory ruling for vote at its July 2020 Open Meeting, the FCC’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau issued rulings in two long-pending petitions for clarification of the requirements of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”). Although these clarifications do not address the core questions regarding the definition of an autodialer and consent requirements that were remanded two years ago in ACA International…