Charter Can’t Dodge Robocall Claim Over Predictive Dialing (1)

Charter Communications Inc. lost a bid to toss a lawsuit alleging it violated a federal robocall law by making calls with a predictive dialer.

The case highlights a split between courts on how to define autodialers following a federal appeals court ruling that struck down a Federal Communications Commission interpretation of the term. The Telephone Consumer Protection Act requires companies targeting potential customers to get their express consent before calling them with autodialers.

Plaintiff Mitchell Maes said Charter repeatedly called him without permission, trying to collect another person’s debt. Maes alleged Charter used a predictive dialer to reach him because ...