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Posts published by “Hector E. Lora”

Hector E. Lora manages the firm’s Florida office and has substantial experience in all phases of complex commercial litigation, including bench and jury trials as well as appellate practice. Hector represents lenders, servicers, debt collectors and debt buyers in complex mortgage foreclosure actions, quiet title actions, federal TILA, RESPA, TCPA, and FDCPA actions and Florida FCCPA actions brought by borrowers or debtors. He also represents creditors in bankruptcy litigation, purchasers of accounts receivable or factoring companies that provide revenue-based financing to small and mid-sized businesses in collection actions, and landlords in commercial and residential evictions. Hector’s broad litigation experience includes over a decade of defending civil enforcement actions filed by the Federal Trade Commission as well as real estate contract disputes and partition actions, contested mortgage foreclosure and condominium lien foreclosure actions and the foreclosure of UCC Article 9 security interests. Hector also has advised a variety of types of businesses regarding their compliance with applicable federal and state consumer protection laws, including the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the Controlling the Assault of Nonsolicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003, and Florida laws governing telephone solicitation and communication. Hector received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center, and his undergraduate degree with honors from the University of Florida. For more information, see https://mauricewutscher.com/attorneys/hector-e-lora/

Fla. Supreme Court Holds Consumers May Recover Attorney’s Fees in ‘Account Stated’ and ‘Foreclosure Standing’ Cases

The Florida Supreme Court recently resolved a split in Florida law on the issue of attorney’s fees in favor of consumers, holding that debtors who prevail when a creditor sues under an account stated cause of action instead of for breach of the underlying credit card agreement are entitled to recover attorney’s fees under the so-called “reciprocity provision” of subsection 57.105(7), Florida Statutes.

7th Cir. Requires Evidentiary Hearing for Factual Disputes as to Standing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently vacated a trial court’s judgment of dismissal and remanded with instructions to hold an evidentiary hearing limited to the issue of whether the trial court had subject-matter jurisdiction over a plaintiff’s claim that a dunning letter violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act because it did not clearly state that interest would accrue on the debt.

7th Cir. Holds Plaintiff’s Annoyance, Infuriation, Aggravation, Indignation Not Enough for Standing to Sue

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently held that a debt collection letter that references a legal remedy that could be pursued but is ultimately not pursued is not itself a sufficient basis to confer Article III standing.

9th Cir. Holds Mere Reliance on Contract Provision Not Enough for FDCPA ‘Bona Fide Error’ Defense

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that a debt collector cannot use the “bona fide error” defense to shield itself from liability under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) by merely (1) requiring its creditor clients to provide accurate account information, and (2) requesting verification of the account information from its creditor client, but not waiting to receive a response before trying to collect the debts.

3rd Cir. Upholds Challenge to Securitization Trusts’ Appointment of Additional Servicer

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit recently held that six Delaware asset securitization trusts could appoint an additional servicer to collect loans in default, but violated the trust documents by transferring to the beneficial owners powers reserved for the trustee.

9th Cir. Allows City of Oakland’s FHA ‘Predatory Lending Discrimination’ Claims to Proceed

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that the city of Oakland’s amended complaint alleging unlawful discriminatory lending practices against a national bank and its parent holding company sufficiently stated a claim that its decreased property tax revenues, but not its increased municipal expenses, were proximately caused by the alleged predatory lending practices.

9th Cir. Rejects Challenge to Assumption of Auto Lease in Bankruptcy

In a case of first impression on the issue of “whether a lease assumption can survive discharge even though it is not reaffirmed[,]” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that a creditor’s post-discharge attempt to collect the balance owed under an automobile lease assumed by the debtor post-petition but prior to discharge in a Chapter 7 case did not violate the discharge injunction. 

7th Cir. Rules in Favor of Mortgagee in Insurance Coverage Dispute Involving Fire in Collateral Property

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently reversed summary judgment in favor of an insurer and against a mortgagee in an action involving state tort claims arising from a deadly fire in the collateral property, holding that an issue of fact existed regarding who was in possession of the property when the fire occurred.

2nd Cir. Confirms No Private Right of Action for FCRA ‘Direct Dispute’

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently held that two plaintiff consumers failed to state a claim under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) because the plaintiffs did not allege that they reported the alleged errors to a consumer credit reporting agency or that any such agency notified them of the alleged errors; and there is no private right of action arising from a direct dispute of credit reporting with only the furnisher.