Last week, the Seventh Circuit reversed its prior circuit precedent regarding whether a Rule 68 offer of judgment moots a case. In Chapman v. First Index, Inc., the Seventh Circuit considered the question of mootness as well as whether the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois erred…
On July 10, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its TCPA Omnibus Declaratory Ruling and Order. We wrote about this order on June 29, previewing the FCC’s focus on consumers’ ability to opt out of certain calls, its reiteration of its definition of what constitutes an autodialer, and its…
On June 18, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC” or the “Commission”) issued a package of declaratory rulings (“FCC 15-72”) related to telemarketing. Although FCC 15-72 has yet to be officially released, the Commission indicated the measure is significant, particularly in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) realm. A federal law…
Last week, the United States Supreme Court granted cert in Bouaphakeo v. Tyson Foods, Inc., a Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) case with potentially wide reaching implications in federal class actions. In Bouaphakeo, plaintiffs alleged that they were entitled to overtime for time spent putting on (“donning”) and taking off…
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Bill that would both more permanently install two advisory boards for the CFPB and cap the Bureau’s future funding. Principally, HR 1195 — the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Advisory Board Act — would force the Director to create three advisory…
On March 3, 2015 CFPB Director Richard Cordray appeared before the House Committee on Financial Services to deliver testimony regarding the Bureau’s work. Director Cordray spent much of his semiannual address touting the Bureau’s efforts in the mortgage space. In his written statement, Director Cordray commented on the Bureau’s Qualified…
As we have previously opined, the decision of whether to remove a case can be critically important in state-court-filed class actions. Despite the importance of this decision, the time afforded defendants to weigh their options—thirty days—is minimal. In that short time, defendants must weigh the costs and benefits of both…