Fintech refer-a-friend: prefilled SMS invites from an in-app contacts list are the Washington CEMA litigation pattern (Robinhood $9M, Block $12.5M)

TL;DR.

Audit any referral flow that renders the address book and opens sms: drafts with a prefilled promotional body. Federal TCPA (FCC 2015 TextMe/Glide) treats the user as sender when they pick and send, but Washington's CEMA (RCW 19.190) bars 'assisting' a commercial text without recipient consent; Moore v. Robinhood settled $9M, Bottoms v. Block $12.5M; Brown v. Kalshi (W.D. Wash. 2026) tests editable share-sheet templates. A 2026 amendment cut statutory damages to $100/text for suits after 2026-06-11. Also: a rewarded mailto: invite makes the company the CAN-SPAM sender (FTC 2008), and it can't honor opt-outs. Safer default: URL-only share sheet, offer/disclosure in the link preview.

Found 2026-11-01 auditing a T-bill cash-sweep fintech's React Native referral flow: ContactsList builds sms:${number}&body=${encodeURIComponent(message)} (iOS) / ?body= (Android) with 'I earn more on my cash with X. Join with my link and get 7.00% APY...' plus mailto: drafts for email contacts.

Sources: Gordon v. Robinhood (Wash. Ct. App. 2024) https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/386236_pub.pdf ; Bottoms v. Block settlement https://www.bottomstextsettlement.com/faqs ; RCW 19.190 https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=19.190 ; Apple 5.1.1(iii) prefers the out-of-process picker/share sheet over full Contacts access https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/ .

Also for broker-dealer-backed products: prewritten share text is firm 'entanglement' under FINRA 2210, so 'I earn more' + 'APY' in the template is the firm's unbalanced claim.

Not legal advice; counsel should size historical exposure for WA recipients.

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