Cartrette v. Time Warner Cable, Inc.

157 F. Supp. 3d 448, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4867, 2016 WL 183483
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedJanuary 14, 2016
DocketNO. 5:14-CV-143-FL
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 157 F. Supp. 3d 448 (Cartrette v. Time Warner Cable, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cartrette v. Time Warner Cable, Inc., 157 F. Supp. 3d 448, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4867, 2016 WL 183483 (E.D.N.C. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER

LOUISE W. FLANAGAN, United States District Judge

This matter is before the court on defendant’s motion for summary judgment, made pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. (DE 17). The issues raised have been briefed fully, and in this posture are ripe for ruling. For the reasons that follow, defendant’s motion for summary judgment is denied.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Plaintiff Judith Cartrette commenced this action against defendant Time Warner Cable, Inc. on March 10, 2014. (DE 1). In [450]*450the complaint, plaintiff alleged defendant violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), 47 U.S.C. § 227, by using an automated telephone dialing system and an artificial or prerecorded voice to call plaintiffs cell phone regarding an alleged debt. In its answer, defendant denied violating the TCPA and raised a number of defenses. (DE 13).

On March 27, 2015, defendant filed the instant motion for summary judgment, pursuant to Rule 56. (DE 17). In support of the motion, defendant relies upon a supporting memorandum (DE 19), an unsigned copy of defendant’s standard services agreement (DE 18-1), and a declaration by defendant’s employee, David Zitko. (DE 18). In its supporting memorandum, defendant argues that it is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on the bases that: the TCPA and defendant’s services agreement afforded plaintiff no right to revoke her prior consent to receive defendant’s telephone calls; defendant did not use an automated telephone dialing system (“ATDS”); and the content of defendant’s calls fell outside the scope of the TCPA.

Plaintiff filed a response on May 4, 2015 (DE 24), attaching plaintiffs own declaration (DE 24-1), as well as a deposition transcript of Zitko, as taken in a different case involving defendant. (DE 24-2). Plaintiff opposes all three bases for defendant’s summary judgment motion. In addition to opposing defendant’s second basis regarding the definition ■ of ATDS, plaintiff also argues that defendant called her using an artificial or prerecorded voice.

Defendant replied on June 4, 2015, reasserting its arguments that plaintiff could not revoke her consent under the TCPA and services agreement, and that defendant did not use an ATDS in calling plaintiff. (DE 27). The reply does not address plaintiffs contention that defendant used an artificial or prerecorded voice.

Most recently, on July 10, 2015, plaintiff filed notice of suggestion of subsequently decided authority (DE 28), and attached a copy of a decision of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (DE 28-1), King v. Time Warner Cable, 113 F.Supp.3d. 718 (S.D.N.Y.2015).

STATEMENT OF FACTS

In 2013, plaintiff requested that defendant install cable services at her home in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. (DE 18 ¶ 12). Defendant establishes relationships with residential customers through its residential services subscriber agreement (“services agreement”), which includes a paragraph titled, “Robo-Calls,” stating: “[Defendant] (or persons acting on our behalf) may use automated dialing systems or artificial or recorded voices to contact you or leave you messages if you do not answer.” (DE 18 ¶ 13; DE 18-1 ¶ 12(b)). Sometime thereafter, plaintiff agreed to subscribe to defendant’s service. (DE 18 ¶ 14). While doing so, plaintiff provided defendant with her cell phone number. (Id.; DE 24-1 ¶2).

In October 2013, defendant began calling plaintiffs cell phone regarding an unpaid installation fee. (DE 18 1Í15). Plaintiff disputed the debt, and during a live telephone conversation on January 14, 2014, plaintiff instructed defendant to cease all calls to her cell phone. (DE 24-1 ¶ 5; see DE 18 ¶ 15). However, between January 29 and February 11, 2014, plaintiff received on her cell phone six additional calls from defendant, four of which she answered and two of which were voicemail messages. (DE 18 ¶ 15). Approximately one month thereafter, on March 10, 2014, plaintiff brought this action against defendant. (DE 1).

Defendant called plaintiff using its proprietary communication system, the Out[451]*451bound Enterprise Interactive Voice Response (the “IVR”). (DE 18 ¶ 15). The IVR was integrated with defendant’s billing system, which contained information about defendant’s customer accounts, including customers’ telephone numbers.. (Id.' ¶ 5). Each day, the IVR reviewed the billing system to identify overdue accounts and call the telephone numbers associated with those accounts. (Id.).. If a call was not answered, the IVR left a voicemail message asking the customer to return the call. (Id.). If a call was answered, the IVR played a message asking to speak with the account holder, and if the call recipient indicated that she was the account holder then the IVR played another message providing information about the overdue account. (Id. ¶¶ 6-7).

Zitko oversaw operation of the IVR during the relevant time period. (DE 18 ¶ 2). In his declaration, defendant states that “[t]he IVR has never had the capacity to produce or store telephone numbers using a random or sequential number generator. Rather, the IVR calls only phone numbers stored in [defendant’s billing system ... that meet specified parameters.” (Id. ¶ 10). In addition, he states that “[t]he IVR has never dialed telephone numbers in a manner that ‘predicts’ — based on complicated algorithms — when, a call recipient will answer the telephone so a live call center agent will be available to take the call.” (Id. ¶ 11). Instead, Zitko explains, “[t]he IVR only calls the phone numbers from [defendant]^ billing system, occasionally plays messages, and enables customers to interact with [defendant]’s billing system through the IVR, including speaking with a live [ ] representative.” (Id.).

COURT’S DISCUSSION

A. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is appropriate where “the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the -movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The party seeking summary judgment bears the initial burden of demonstrating the absence of any genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). Once the moving party has met its burden, the nonmoving party then must affirmatively demonstrate with specific evidence thát there exists a genuine issue of material fact requiring trial. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). Only disputes between the parties over’ facts that might affect the outcome of the case properly preclude the entry of summary' judgment. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
157 F. Supp. 3d 448, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4867, 2016 WL 183483, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cartrette-v-time-warner-cable-inc-nced-2016.