Non-Resident Plaintiffs Are `Consumers’ Under Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act

Nonresident plaintiffs may qualify as “consumers” under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA), a Texas appeals court said Oct. 7 (Collums v. Ford Motor Co., 2014 BL 279004, Tex. App., 14-13-01132, 10/7/14).

The ruling, which involves a dispute over repairs to a truck, could widen the class of potential plaintiffs under the DTPA, which has been applied in suits against financial institutions.

The court declined to address whether the ruling would violate principles of extraterritorialism, saying that question was not before the trial court.

The decision by the Texas Fourteenth Court of Appeals allows a suit against ...