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Lawsuit: ‘Gang of Five’ Texts, Emails Threaten the Privacy of Hundreds of Citizens

Text messages and emails between hundreds of private citizens and Cincinnati City Council members known as the “Gang of Five” remain in the city’s possession and could be given to anyone – threatening the citizens’ right to privacy, a federal lawsuit says.The texts and emails were collected as part of a battle over whether the five council members – in group text messages – had private discussions about city business that should have happened publicly.In April 2018, a local resident represented by attorney Brian Shrive sued the five council members, all Democrats, saying they had violated Ohio’s open meetings law by holding “rogue” meetings in group text messages.


Announcing a Class Action Settlement Involving All Persons Who Were Sent a Text Message by Uber Technologies, Inc. Between December 31, 2010 and August 17, 2017

A proposed settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against Uber Technologies, Inc. (“Uber”) regarding text messages allegedly sent in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227 et seq. (“TCPA”), from December 31, 2010 to August 17, 2017 (“Class Period”).  The case is Vergara, et al. v. Uber Technologies, Inc. Case No. 1:15-CV-06942 (N.D. Ill.). This case was brought as a class action alleging that Uber violated the TCPA by sending automated text messages without consent to individuals’ cellphones.  Uber denies the allegations.  The Court …


Web Companies Bash Robo-Texting Law

Tech companies are increasingly getting hit with class-action complaints for sending text messages to consumers, according to the trade group Internet Association. The organization, made up of Google, Facebook, eBay and other large Web companies, made that statement in a regulatory filing summarizing a recent meeting between Internet Association officials and Federal Communications Commission …


Instant Risk: Litigation Threat Could Imperil Schools’ Ability to Instantly Message Parents, Others

A class action lawsuit now pending in Chicago’s federal courts could imperil the ability of schools to instantly send out voice and text messages and emails to parents, students and the community to inform them of emergency situations and other school-related matters, according to one company that specializes in providing schools with such messaging services. And should such services disappear, …


Class Action: Grubhub Texts Violated Federal Law

A consumer recently filed a class action lawsuit against Grubhub for alleged violations of telephone harassment statutes. Victoria Flores filed the lawsuit on March 27 in Cook County Circuit Court alleging the food delivery service sent several unsolicited text messages to her. According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges she, in February 2016, received several automated text …


Facebook Agrees to Settle Class-Action Privacy Suit

[JURIST] Facebook [corporate website] settled a class-action lawsuit levied against it on Wednesday for its prior practice of scanning private messages to aid in ads. A motion [text, PDF] was filed on Wednesday, subject to court approval, for declaratory and injunctive relief, though it does not discuss specific monetary awards. In pertinent part, the motion states “[t]he settlement achieves …


TCPA Litigation Evolving to Include Text Message Opt-Out Responses

A group of attorneys has warned that the “next wave” of class action lawsuits has been bringing into question the businesses’ responsibility when it comes to customers opting out of text message programs. Lawyers with New Jersey firm McCarter & English LLP have been seeing an increase in Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation in which customers claim …



Class Action Says Texting ‘Y’ Not Enough, AMC Needed to Get Written Consent Before Texting Customers

Cinema chain AMC has been hit with a class lawsuit claiming the theater company wrongly added people to marketing lists to send them text messages promoting upcoming movies and encouraging other purchases. On Feb. 1, plaintiff Caleb Baldwin, identified in the document only as a Cook County resident, filed suit in Chicago federal court, alleging Leawood, Kan.-based AMC violated the federal …


Yahoo Urges Judge to Throw Out Robo-Texting Class-Action

Earlier this year, federal judge in Illinois ruled that Yahoo must face a class-action lawsuit for allegedly sending unsolicited SMS messages to some Sprint customers. Yahoo is now asking U.S. District Court Judge Manish Shah to rethink that ruling in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in a lawsuit brought by a consumer against the online data broker Spokeo. The battle centers on a …