Privacy Win for RingCentral Earns Litigators of the Week Shout Out

• American Lawyer’s Litigation Daily today recognized an important win in California privacy litigation for RingCentral in its Litigators of the Week feature.
• Backing an Orrick team’s arguments, a San Mateo County Superior Court judge this week granted summary judgment for RingCentral, effectively dismissing a class action brought under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA). Plaintiffs brought the case on behalf of state residents who had telephone calls recorded by a RingCentral subscriber or exchanged texts with a subscriber since July 2019.
• The judge agreed with our arguments that the company fell within CIPA exemptions reserved for telephone companies. Orrick’s public policy team was instrumental in amending CIPA in 2022 — amendments the Court relied on in its ruling. 
• This decision establishes important precedent, solidifying that CIPA exemptions applied to VOIP providers providing call recording and text messaging services—common features in the global digital landscape. 

The Orrick team was led by partners Jacob Heath and Aravind Swaminathan, and includes associates Jesse Beringer, Sarah Meehan and Dan Alleva, as well as former of counsel Nicole Tadano.  Partner Jeremy Kudon led our public policy team’s work on amending CIPA legislation related to the telephone company exemption.