The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently reversed a trial court’s order sanctioning a consumer’s counsel for failure to promptly settle a lawsuit, but affirmed the trial court's order denying a motion to recuse because the trial court was not biased against the consumer.
Posts published in “Debt Collection”
Effective June 11, purchasers of consumer debt will face tougher requirements when initiating debt collection lawsuits in Washington state.
Nearly 30 years after authoring an opinion that has been rejected by the Second, Fourth and Ninth Circuits and ignored by the First, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh Circuits, the Third Circuit finally acknowledged that its original interpretation of 15 U.S.C. 1692g(a)(3) of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act was wrong.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently affirmed entry of summary judgment against a consumer debtor who claimed that a collection letter’s language, implying that interest or other charges (which the debt collector did not collect on debts referred to it by the creditor and were not referenced in the subject credit agreement) could accrue in the event of a default, violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
The Massachusetts attorney general has adopted a regulation deeming it illegal for a debt collector to telephone a Massachusetts resident to request payment of a debt or for a debt collector or a creditor to file a lawsuit to collect a debt.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently reversed the dismissal of a consumer’s Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) claim based on debt collection information that was visible through a transparent window on two debt collection letters.
Idaho HB 425 was introduced on Feb. 6, 2020, to address the perceived issue that “current Idaho law enables excessive attorney's fees and fails to provide judges with clear guidance to combat abuses of the collections process.” This proposed law would apply to “any person” and does not limit its application to debt collectors.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently affirmed summary judgment in favor of a guaranty agency that caused a set-off against a plaintiff’s Social Security benefits to recover a judgment assigned to it based on a defaulted student loan.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently reversed the dismissal of a consumer’s second lawsuit against a debt collector for failure to notify a credit reporting agency that the debt was disputed.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a bill to license consumer debt collectors. The proposal comes as part of the governor’s 2021 “budget bill” and was introduced on Jan. 21. A copy is available here. The bill proposes an effective date of Oct. 1, 2020.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently affirmed a district court’s finding that a consumer lacked standing to pursue a lawsuit alleging that collection notices sent by a law firm violated the FDCPA because no attorney with the firm conducted a meaningful review of his debts.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently reversed certification of a consumer class alleging that a debt collection letter violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).