Introduction
Uncertainty over the definition of an automatic telephone dialing system (ATDS or autodialer) under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) has fueled a steady flow of litigation for over a decade. Last year, four federal courts of appeals addressed the issue, with no consensus on the proper scope of the statutory definition. In
Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, a unanimous Supreme Court resolves the longstanding dispute over the autodialer definition and provides much-needed clarity for businesses and consumers. The decision is a significant victory for compliance-minded companies that have faced years of unwarranted class-action litigation over their efforts to contact consumers by phone and text message.
Uncertainty over the definition of an “automatic telephone dialing system” (ATDS or autodialer) under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) has fueled a steady flow of litigation.