Beyond Meat and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are facing a class action lawsuit accusing the defendants of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
The alternative protein maker and animal rights organization allegedly sent thousands of unauthorized, automated text messages to consumers without their opting in, according to the class action filing in a U.S. District Court in California. The alleged violation of the TCPA centers on the use of unsolicited text messages sent to cellphones that are designed to advertise the company’s products or the organization, the lawsuit claims.
The plaintiff — a San Diego resident representing the class — cites a 2012 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order restricting telemarketing calls without prior express written consent for such text messages. The lawsuit is seeking unspecified “actual and statutory damages,” punitive and treble damages based on current statutes and an injunction to cease all similar activities in addition to attorneys’ fees.
PETA told Meatingplace that its policy is to send text messages “only to people who consent to receive them,” adding that the organization will “defend the lawsuit aggressively.” Beyond Meat has yet to comment on the filing.