Stoops v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
2016 WL 3566266, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 82380, 197 F. Supp. 3d 782 (2016)
Sections
Case Podcast
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Rule of Law:
The Legal Principle
This section distills the key legal rule established or applied by the court—the one-liner you'll want to remember for exams.
Facts:
- Melody Stoops purchased at least thirty-five prepaid cell phones.
- To activate the phones, Stoops selected zip codes in economically depressed areas of Florida, believing this would increase the likelihood of receiving calls from creditors intended for the numbers' previous owners.
- Stoops admitted that her sole purpose for acquiring and maintaining these phones was to file TCPA lawsuits as a 'business,' and she did not use them for any personal communication.
- Stoops purchased 'airtime cards' to add minutes to the phones, with the express purpose of ensuring the phones could continue to receive more calls for potential litigation.
- Wells Fargo Bank, using an automatic telephone dialing system, placed numerous calls to two of Stoops' phone numbers, attempting to reach its prior customers named 'Newman' and 'Pereira.'
- Stoops had no prior relationship with Wells Fargo, did not provide the bank with her phone numbers, and did not know the individuals Wells Fargo was trying to contact.
- Stoops testified that while she sometimes told callers to stop, she hoped they would continue calling to support a claim for knowing and willful TCPA violations, which could result in treble damages.
Procedural Posture:
How It Got Here
Understand the case's journey through the courts—who sued whom, what happened at trial, and why it ended up on appeal.
Issue:
Legal Question at Stake
This section breaks down the central legal question the court had to answer, written in plain language so you can quickly grasp what's being decided.
Opinions:
Majority, Concurrences & Dissents
Read clear summaries of each judge's reasoning—the majority holding, any concurrences, and dissenting views—so you understand all perspectives.
Analysis:
Why This Case Matters
Get the bigger picture—how this case fits into the legal landscape, its lasting impact, and the key takeaways for your class discussion.
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