The recent decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirming the district court's judgment imposing more than $61 million in damages against Dish Network for its vendor's violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) serves as a reminder that companies can be held liable for consumer protection law violations committed by third-party vendors—and underscores the importance of maintaining strong vendor oversight.
In 2017, a North Carolina federal district court jury found Dish liable for violations of the TCPA because its vendor initiated more than 50,000 calls to about 18,000 consumers whose telephone numbers appeared on the National Do-Not-Call Registry.