Filing a proof of claim with a bankruptcy court representing a debt subject to an expired state law limitations period does not violate the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) under an opinion released yesterday from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Under the ruling, in Owens v. LVNV, the Seventh Circuit joins the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in rejecting the Eleventh Circuit’s holding under Crawford v. LVNV that such proofs of claim violate the FDCPA. A copy of the opinion is available at: Link to Opinion. In this consolidated appeal of three cases, debt purchasers or their attorneys had…
Posts published by “Donald Maurice”
Donald Maurice provides counsel to the financial services industry, successfully litigating matters in the state and federal courts in individual and class actions. He has successfully argued before the Third, Fourth and Eighth Circuit U.S. Courts of Appeals, and has represented the financial services industry before several courts including as counsel for amicus curiae before the United States Supreme Court. He counsels clients in regulatory actions before the CFPB, and other federal and state regulators and in the development and testing of debt collection compliance systems. Don is peer-rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell, the worldwide guide to lawyers. In addition to being a frequent speaker and author on consumer financial services law, he serves as outside counsel to RMA International, on the governing Board of Regents of the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers, and on the New York City Bar Association's Consumer Affairs Committee. From 2014 to 2017, he chaired the ABA's Bankruptcy and Debt Collection Subcommittee. For more information, see https://mauricewutscher.com/attorneys/donald-maurice/
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released an outline of its proposals for rules under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FDCPA regulates the practices of debt collectors, primarily persons who collect consumer debt on behalf of others and sometimes persons who purchase defaulted consumer debts. The CFPB’s outline displays its intention to issue rules not only covering these third-party debt collectors and debt purchasers, but also to regulate the debt collection activities of original creditors themselves under the Bureau’s authority from the Dodd-Frank Act to issue regulations prohibiting unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts and practices. The outline…
National financial services law firm Maurice Wutscher LLP has opened a new office in Atlanta, hiring financial services attorney D. Sharmin Arefin to lead the firm’s Georgia litigation and regulatory compliance matters. Arefin will practice in the firm’s Consumer Credit Litigation, Regulatory Compliance, Employment Litigation, and Commercial Litigation groups. She joins Maurice Wutscher’s skilled team of litigators who specialize in appellate matters, business formation and transactions, class action litigation, commercial litigation, construction litigation, consumer credit litigation, contested bankruptcies, contested foreclosures, employment and civil litigation, insurance recovery and advisory services, intellectual property litigation, and regulatory compliance, in offices throughout the United…
Yesterday’s decision from the U.S. Supreme Court in Spokeo v. Robins should bolster the defense of companies subject to several federal consumer protection statutes. The ruling addresses lawsuits that claim an injury created solely by the violation of a federal statute and require the plaintiff to demonstrate not only that the statute was violated, but that the plaintiff herself suffered harm. The opinion does not go as far as many in the consumer financial services industry would have liked (not all injuries must be “tangible”), but it does close the door on civil lawsuits many have faced. The opinion was…
Join me on June 2 for a live webinar when I will be among a panel of plaintiff and defense attorneys discussing developments and trends in consumer finance class actions, including the Gillie and Spokeo U.S. Supreme Court cases. During the webinar, we will present effective strategies and approaches for pursuing or defending claims alleging violations of federal consumer protection laws governing the financial services industry, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and other similar statutes and regulations. In addition, we will offer guidance on how to navigate the thorny…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has released a proposal to prohibit creditors from using arbitration clauses to block class action litigation. The Bureau’s proposed ban is not surprising. However, it will only impact arbitration agreements concerning covered consumer financial products or services entered into after its effective date. Arbitration Clauses and Class Action Waivers Arbitration is an effective means for consumers to vindicate their claims in an informal setting. Through the informal setting of arbitration, consumers are not restricted by court rules of evidence and procedure that could otherwise limit or even prevent the assertion of particular claims or the use…
A judgment debtor’s lawsuit requesting the court declare a judgment as “void” is not subject to any limitations period, under a decision from Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals. However, claims arising from the “void” judgment may be subject to Maryland statutes of limitations according to the decision in Jason v. National Loan Recoveries, LLC, available here. No Limitations Period on Claim that an Unlicensed Debt Buyer’s Judgment is ‘Void’ National Loan Recoveries (“NLR”), a debt buyer, obtained a judgment against Jason on an unpaid delinquent credit card account. However, at the time NLR obtained the judgment, it was not licensed…
National financial services law firm Maurice Wutscher LLP has opened a new office in Birmingham, hiring financial services attorney Brent Yarborough to lead the firm’s Alabama litigation matters. Yarborough will practice in the firm’s Appellate, Commercial Litigation, Consumer Credit Litigation and Regulatory Compliance groups. He joins Maurice Wutscher’s skilled team of litigators who specialize in appellate matters, business formation and transactions, class action litigation, commercial litigation, construction litigation, consumer credit litigation, contested bankruptcies, contested foreclosures, employment litigation, equine law, insurance recovery and advisory services, intellectual property litigation, regulatory compliance, and trials and evidentiary hearings. Maurice Wutscher now has 15 offices…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a bulletin on Nov. 23, 2015 “intended to remind entities of their obligations under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E.” A careful read is needed, as Bulletin 2015-06 can be easily misinterpreted. A copy is available at: Link to Bulletin 2015-06. Electronic transfers become subject to the EFTA and Regulation E when they are made from a consumer’s “account.” Credit cards will typically not cause a transfer from a consumer’s account, but debit cards would cause a transfer from a consumer’s account. Much of the bulletin’s focus is directed at the…
A credit reporting agency has settled a long-pending class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, agreeing to pay more than $3 million and remove from its consumer credit reports judgments entered in Virginia General District Court. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) class action, Soutter v. Equifax Information Services LLC, was given the green light in April, with U.S. District Judge Robert E. Payne agreeing the standards for class certification had been met. In the class claim, plaintiff Donna K. Soutter contended Equifax willfully violated the FCRA when it failed to take reasonable…
Debt collectors seeking to avoid liability under the bona fide error exception of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) will not be excused from liability if the conduct at issue was intentionally undertaken. That is the ruling from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Leeb v. Nationwide Credit Corporation. Mark Leeb received a telephone call and letter from Nationwide seeking payment for an unpaid medical debt. Leeb wrote Nationwide stating he did not owe the debt because it was payable by his health insurance. He also requested Nationwide provide him verification of the debt under section 1692g(b) of…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s latest edition of Supervisory Highlights was released last week. I expected some stinging comments directed at debt collectors and debt buyers, given the recent consent decrees. What I found was the opposite. The 45-page report devoted only three paragraphs to supervised ARM entities. And, what was reported only indicates the potential for regulatory violation and did not note any instance where a consumer was actually harmed. Communications with Consumers Here the Bureau looked at supervised entities’ compliance with section 1692c of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The CFPB’s beef here was that ARM companies had…