In Hanrahan v. Statewide Collection, Inc., No. 21-16187 (9th Cir. Sep. 1, 2022), the Ninth Circuit affirmed an award of attorneys’ fees in favor of the plaintiff in an action brought under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). The case makes clear that, although the amount is discretionary, attorney fee awards to prevailing
On November 10, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a circular, stating that both consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) and furnishers may be held liable under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) for failing to investigate disputes, including when they impose what the CFPB views as barriers to the submission of disputes. Specifically, the
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Dave Gettings and his guests and colleagues Jessica Lohr and Virginia Flynn who discuss their recent service as jurors on criminal cases, while also providing valuable insight to litigators into what a case looks like from the jury box.
Jessica defends consumer reporting agencies, national banking institutions, and mortgage
After a years-long effort, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced the approval of both the FICO 10T and the VantageScore 4.0 credit score models for use by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Enterprises). The FHFA expects the transition to the two-score model to take multiple years to implement, which will require both scores
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Dave Gettings and his colleagues Ethan Ostroff, Brooke Conkle, and Jon Kenney as they discuss the Third Circuit’s recent decision in the Bibbs case, particularly the Third Circuit’s treatment of “pay status” allegations and what we can expect to see going forward.
Ethan Ostroff advises companies on compliance issues
In Bacalzo v. Credit Control, LLC, No. 20-16904 (KMW/MJS) (D.N.J. June 7, 2022), the court granted summary judgment in favor of a debt collector who included multiple contact addresses in a debt collection letter.
Defendant Credit Control LLC (Credit Control) sought to collect a credit card debt owed by plaintiff Linda Bacalzo. As part
In Louis v. Deshmukh, Civil Action No. 21-19902 (D.N.J. July 27, 2022), the District of New Jersey denied a motion to dismiss a putative class action, asserting claims under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) based on statements made in the pleadings in an earlier state court litigation.
Plaintiff Cathelene Louis incurred a
What standard should courts use to determine whether information contained in a consumer’s credit report is inaccurate or misleading? According to the Third Circuit in a recent precedential decision, the standard should be that of the “reasonable reader,” not a “reasonable creditor,” i.e., not an individual or entity sophisticated in the art of reading
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Dave Gettings and his fellow Partner Ethan Ostroff as they discuss the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s increasingly active interest in credit reporting, including a recent CFPB blog post on credit card companies and their perceived practice of suppressing payment information, as well as what it signals to companies in the industry.
Ethan’s practice includes advising companies on compliance issues and interactions with regulators concerning the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as well as defending furnishers, users, and specialty consumer reporting agencies in individual and class-action lawsuits under the FCRA.
Please join Consumer Financial Services Partner Chris Willis and his guests and colleagues Dave Gettings and Mary Kate Kamka as they discuss recent trends in class-action consumer finance litigation, including: