NetScout Secures Landmark Ruling, Defeating Attempt to Apply Telephone Law to Commercial Websites

NetScout Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTCT), a leading provider of enterprise network observability, carrier service assurance, cybersecurity, and distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection solutions, today announced a landmark legal victory in a California lawsuit over the scope of the state telephone communications law, a case in which the company chose to defend itself against a serial plaintiff’s meritless claim rather than settle.

On May 27, 2026, the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, ruled entirely in NetScout’s favor, dismissing the frequent litigant’s case with prejudice and denying leave to amend.  The lawsuit was one of several opportunistic attempts by the filing party against multiple organizations to extend a California telephone communications law to ordinary commercial websites and internet data collection, regardless of whether any individual was harmed, a reach NetScout refused to accept and the court ultimately rejected.

The decision provides important guidance for companies across industries. This ruling confirms that laws governing telephonic technology cannot be opportunistically weaponized against companies for ordinary web browsing and data collection activities the legislature never intended to cover.  It gives companies meaningful support to defend against claims that seek to do that.

“NetScout determined this claim had no merit. Some companies chose to settle these kinds of cases, but we knew we were right, so we chose to fight it.  We directed that strategy, we committed to it, and the court definitively agreed with us, ruling in our favor on a motion to dismiss with prejudice,” said Jeff Levinson, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, NetScout Systems, Inc.

He continued, “We appreciate the California court’s thoughtful decision that CIPA’s pen register and trap-and-trace provisions were designed to apply to telephone communications and not to software on commercial websites.  This is an important decision for us and for the industry, and it vindicates our position based on the law.”

Anil Singhal, Co-Founder and CEO of NetScout, expressed his support: “This ruling reflects exactly who NetScout is.  When we believe we are right, we stand behind that conviction.  Jeff and the team handled this with the same determination that defines everything we do at NetScout.”