Court Pushes Back on Copy-and-Paste CIPA Lawsuits
Been hit with a recent California website privacy demand letter or lawsuit? Here is some welcome news.
A federal court just declared serial plaintiff Vivek Shah a vexatious litigant after finding that his litigation history showed an effort to pressure businesses into “coercive settlements.” Shah v. Crain Communications, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-03070-RGK-CTS (C.D. Cal. July 20, 2026).
Shah is not new to litigation. According to the court, he initiated at least 29 proceedings between 2021 and 2026. His more recent cases targeted businesses under the California Invasion of Privacy Act, commonly known as CIPA, alleging that their websites intercepted the contents of his electronic communications. In just seven months, Shah filed seven nearly identical CIPA complaints against different defendants.
The court identified a striking pattern:
Complaints based on templates or copied from other lawsuits.
Nearly identical claims filed despite prior rulings identifying pleading deficiencies.
Voluntary dismissals after defendants filed motions to dismiss.
No CIPA claim pursued through trial on the merits.
Deliberate searches for potential violations and enough website queries to try to establish the amount required for federal jurisdiction.
The court concluded that Shah’s repeated filings and dismissals strongly indicated that his goal was to harass businesses into settlements rather than pursue legitimate relief. It also found that his conduct imposed significant costs on defendants and unnecessary burdens on the courts.
Shah must now obtain permission before filing any new CIPA or related digital privacy case in the Central District of California. The order does not restrict his pending lawsuit.
Shah is not the only source of repetitive website privacy claims. We have seen similar demand-letter and litigation campaigns from other plaintiffs’ firms in California, often involving substantially similar allegations directed at numerous businesses.
This ruling gives defendants a practical reason to look beyond the individual demand or complaint. Who else has received the same claim? How often has the plaintiff or law firm filed it? And what happens when defendants fight back? As the Shah court recognized, that broader pattern can reveal what a single complaint does not.
If you’ve received a CIPA demand letter or lawsuit, reach out. We’re actively defending businesses against these claims.