Opinion ID: 612893
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Federal-Question Jurisdiction Under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act

Text: Charvat first argues that the district court erred in concluding that it lacked federal-question jurisdiction, 28 U.S.C. § 1331, over his claims arising under the TCPA. We review de novo the district court's dismissal of a complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction. Lewis v. Whirlpool Corp., 630 F.3d 484, 487 (6th Cir. 2011). Relying on our unpublished decision in Dun-Rite Construction, Inc. v. Amazing Tickets, Inc., No. 04-3216, 2004 WL 3239533 (6th Cir.2004) (unpublished order), and the decisions of six of our sister circuits, [3] the district court concluded that the plain language of the TCPA creates a private right of action in state  not federal  court. R.53 (Dist. Ct. Op. at 6). Charvat urges us not to apply the unpublished  and therefore not binding  decision in Dun-Rite and rather to follow the Seventh Circuit's decision in Brill v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc., 427 F.3d 446 (7th Cir.2005), and then-Judge Alito's dissent in ErieNet, Inc. v. Velocity Net, Inc., 156 F.3d 513, 521 (3d Cir.1998). These opinions analyze the Supreme Court's decisions in Grable & Sons Metal Products, Inc. v. Darue Engineering & Manufacturing, 545 U.S. 308, 125 S.Ct. 2363, 162 L.Ed.2d 257 (2005), Tafflin v. Levitt, 493 U.S. 455, 110 S.Ct. 792, 107 L.Ed.2d 887 (1990), and Breuer v. Jim's Concrete of Brevard, Inc., 538 U.S. 691, 123 S.Ct. 1882, 155 L.Ed.2d 923 (2003), and conclude that there is federal-question jurisdiction under the TCPA. [4] See Brill, 427 F.3d at 450-52; ErieNet, 156 F.3d at 521-23 (Alito, J., dissenting). But see Mims v. Arrow Fin. Servs., LLC, 421 Fed.Appx. 920, 921 (11th Cir.2010) (unpublished decision) (concluding that Grable and Breuer do not overturn its precedent in Nicholson v. Hooters of Augusta, Inc., 136 F.3d 1287, 1289 (11th Cir.1998)), petition for cert. granted, ___ U.S. ___, 131 S.Ct. 3063, ___ L.Ed.2d ___ (2011). The jurisdiction of federal courts over private TCPA claims has been the subject of much debate. See, e.g., Landsman & Funk PC v. Skinder-Strauss Assocs., 640 F.3d 72 (3d Cir.2011) (resulting in three separate opinions on the issue of jurisdiction [5] ), reh'g en banc granted, 650 F.3d 311, 2011 WL 1879624 (3d Cir. May 17, 2011). After briefing in this case concluded, however, another panel of this court agreed with Charvat and held that federal-question jurisdiction exists under the TCPA. Charvat v. EchoStar Satellite, LLC, 630 F.3d 459, 465 (6th Cir.2010); see also APB Assocs., Inc. v. Bronco's Saloon, Inc., No. 10-1325, 425 Fed.Appx. 499, 500, 2011 WL 2192635, at  (6th Cir. June 7, 2011) (unpublished decision), reh'g and reh'g en banc denied. We are bound by EchoStar unless an inconsistent decision of the United States Supreme Court requires modification of the decision or this Court sitting en banc overrules the prior decision. Salmi v. Sec'y of Health & Human Servs., 774 F.2d 685, 689 (6th Cir.1985). Therefore, we conclude that the district court erred in concluding that federal courts lack federal-question jurisdiction over private TCPA claims.