The TCPA Defendant Research Toolkit
TCPA Company & Phone Number Research Toolkit
A practical, step-by-step workflow to identify the correct defendant entity, trace VOIP infrastructure, uncover prior litigation, and assess financial leverage in TCPA cases.
1. Secretary of State & Entity Verification
Confirm the exact legal entity, formation state, registered agent, and corporate status.
2. Related Entities & “Shell Game” Mapping
Identify shared principals, addresses, parent companies, and successor entities.
- Search shared registered agents
- Search variations of company names
- Map principal names across entities
3. Phone Number → Carrier / VOIP Lookup
Determine if calls/texts were sent using VOIP or mass-dialer platforms.
If you can identify the VOIP provider, subpoena targeting becomes significantly easier.
4. Prior TCPA Lawsuits
Search for previous federal or state TCPA cases and defenses used.
Search terms to use:
- “47 U.S.C. 227”
- “autodialer”
- “prior express consent”
- “National Do Not Call Registry”
5. Website Footprint & Tech Stack
Identify dialer vendors, CRMs, lead sharing relationships, and marketing partners.
Always review Privacy Policies and Terms of Service for “marketing partners” and arbitration clauses.
6. Financial Size & Leverage Indicators
Estimate operational scale and financial exposure potential.
- Crunchbase
- PrivCo
- SEC EDGAR
- LinkedIn employee count
7. Regulatory & Enforcement History
Check for prior enforcement actions that support willfulness allegations.
TCPA Defendant Research Checklist
- ☐ Legal entity verified
- ☐ Registered agent confirmed
- ☐ Related entities mapped
- ☐ All phone numbers traced to carrier/VOIP
- ☐ Prior TCPA lawsuits reviewed
- ☐ Privacy Policy & ToS preserved (PDF + screenshots)
- ☐ Arbitration/class waiver language captured
- ☐ Size/headcount estimated
- ☐ Subpoena targets identified (VOIP, dialer, CRM)
