Legg v. Voice Media Group, Inc.

20 F. Supp. 3d 1370, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67623, 2014 WL 2004383
District Court, S.D. Florida·Decided May 16, 2014·No. Case No. 13-62044-CIV·Published·Cited by 15 cases

Opinion

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND GRANTING IN PART AND DENYING IN PART PLAINTIFF’S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

JAMES I. COHN, District Judge.

THIS CAUSE is before the Court upon Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment [DE 65] and Plaintiff’s Motion for Summary Judgment [DE 67]. The Court has reviewed the Motions, the parties’ responses and replies thereto, and the record in this ease, and is otherwise advised in the premises. For the reasons discussed herein, the Court will deny Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment and will grant in part and deny in part Plaintiffs Motion for Summary Judgment.

I. BACKGROUND

This suit arises from a series of unwanted text messages Defendant Voice Media Group, Inc. (“VMG”) allegedly sent to Plaintiff Christopher Legg in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”), 47 U.S.C. § 227. VMG operates alert services which transmit text-message advertisements to consumers’ cellular telephones throughout the United States. DE 1 ¶¶ 6,19, 32. VMG contracts with a third party, Phaz2, Inc. (“Phaz2”), to handle the details and logistics of sending the text messages. DE 65-1 ¶ 1; DE 65-3 at 1. Individuals wishing to subscribe to VMG’s alert services send a text-message request to a “short code” — a type of telephone number used by companies to communicate with large numbers of consumers — maintained by Phaz2. DE 65-5 ¶ 5. Phaz2’s systems then store the individuals’ telephone numbers in a subscriber database. Id. The alert services also allow individuals to unsubscribe by sending the terms “STOP ALL” or variations of “STOP” to the short code. See DE 52-2 ¶ 9.

When VMG decides to send a message to its subscribers, VMG employees draft the substance of the message. DE 65-1 ¶ 4. The employees then input the message, the desired time of sending, and the intended categories of recipients into a software interface that communicates with Phaz2’s systems. DE 65-2 ¶¶ 5-6. When Phaz2 receives the message, it arranges for the message to be transmitted to the cellular telephones of the designated subscribers at the appropriate time. See DE 65-1 ¶ 5.

Legg subscribed to VMG’s alert services in 2012 and early 2013. DE 1 ¶¶ 20-25. In July 2013, however, Legg sought to unsubscribe by following VMG’s instructions to send text messages containing variations of the terms “STOP” and “STOP ALL” to its short code. DE 1 ¶¶ 26-29. Nevertheless, VMG allegedly continued to send text messages to Legg. Id. ¶¶ 27-30. On the basis of the unwanted text messages, Legg commenced this action for violations of the TCPA on September 20, [1373]*13732013. Id. ¶¶ 43-50.1 Each party now moves for summary judgment in its favor.

II. LEGAL STANDARD

A district court “shall grant summary judgment if 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 moving party “always bears the initial responsibility of informing the district court of the basis for its motion, and identifying those portions of [the record] which it believes demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). If the moving party bears the burden of proof on an issue at trial, it must show that the facts are such that “no reasonable jury could find for the nonmoving party.” Rich v. Fla. Dep’t of Corr., 716 F.3d 525, 530 (11th Cir.2013) (internal quotation marks omitted).

After the movant has met its burden under Rule 56(a), the burden of production shifts, and the non-moving party “must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986). As Rule 56 explains, “[i]f a party fails to properly support an assertion of fact or fails to properly address another party’s assertion of fact ... the court may ... grant summary judgment if the motion and supporting materials — including the facts considered undisputed — show that the movant is entitled to it.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e)(3). Therefore, the non-moving party “may not rest upon the mere allegations or denials in its pleadings” but instead must present “specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Walker v. Darby, 911 F.2d 1573, 1576-77 (11th Cir.1990). In deciding a summary-judgment motion, the Court must view the facts in the light most favorable to the non-moving party and draw all reasonable inferences in that party’s favor. Davis v. Williams, 451 F.3d 759, 763 (11th Cir.2006).

III. DISCUSSION

Legg brings his claims in this action under a provision of the TCPA which prohibits the use of an automatic telephone dialing system (“ATDS”) to call a cellular telephone without the recipient’s consent. The TCPA provides in pertinent part:

It shall be unlawful for any person within the United States ... to make any call ... using any [ATDS] ... to any telephone number assigned to a ... cellular telephone service....

47 U.S.C. § 227(b)(l)(A)(iii). A text message to a cellular telephone qualifies as a “call” within the meaning of the TCPA. Gager v. Dell Fin. Servs., LLC, 727 F.3d 265, 269 n. 2 (3d Cir.2013). Legg thus alleges that VMG violated the TCPA when it sent him text messages after he expressed a desire to unsubscribe from its alert services.

The parties’ Motions focus on two issues central to VMG’s liability: (1) whether VMG’s text messages were sent using an ATDS; and (2) whether VMG is liable for the text messages, even though the messages were sent using Phaz2’s — not VMG’s — systems. Legg also seeks judgment in his favor regarding VMG’s affirmative defenses based upon the TCPA’s established business relationship exemption, consent to receive the messages, and [1374]*1374due process. Because factual questions remain regarding whether VMG used an ATDS or is liable for messages sent through Phaz2’s systems, the Court will deny summary judgment on those core points. Nevertheless, the Court will grant Legg’s Motion to the extent he seeks a determination regarding the merits of VMG’s affirmative defenses. The Court will address each party’s Motion in turn.

A.

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Legg v. Voice Media Group, Inc., 20 F. Supp. 3d 1370, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 67623, 2014 WL 2004383 (S.D. Fla. 2014).

20 F. Supp. 3d 1370 (Legg v. Voice Media Group, Inc.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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