OVERVIEW:
On December 9, 2025 , Felix Shipkevich and Rebecca Klar of Shipkevich PLLC held a webinar discussing the rise of pro se plaintiffs and pre‑litigation demands in the TCPA landscape.
DISCUSSION TOPICS:
- A general overview of why pro se plaintiffs have become one of the fastest‑growing forces in TCPA litigation, including the increase in consumer awareness of private right‑of‑action statutes, simplified online filing systems, and the perception that TCPA claims can be initiated without legal training.
- An explanation of the factors driving the rise of pre‑litigation demands and self‑filed TCPA complaints, such as online communities offering step‑by‑step guidance, publicly accessible templates, and the growing trend of monetizing demand‑letter strategies to push companies into quick settlements.
- An overview of where unrepresented plaintiffs obtain litigation guidance.
- A discussion of serial filers and coordinated tactics, including patterns that courts have begun to recognize, the emergence of organized ‘litigation rings,’ the replication of boilerplate pleadings across jurisdictions, and the strategic use of TCPA claims to force information exchange or extract nuisance‑value settlements.
- An analysis of ghostwriting indicators and how they complicate defense strategy, including identifying filings that contain language inconsistent with true self‑representation, recognizing attorney‑crafted structures, and understanding how ghostwriting affects pleading standards, discovery, and judicial perception.
- A summary of defensive approaches industry participants should consider when responding to template‑driven claims, such as early procedural challenges, targeted discovery to uncover filing patterns, use of arbitration clauses, documentation best practices, and strategic motions designed to address recycled or doctrinally incorrect allegations.
