A recent objection by the U.S. Department of Justice to a proposed class action settlement in Cowen v. Lenny & Larry’s Inc.[1] may be an indication that the DOJ will be scrutinizing future settlements for the benefits to the class members. The DOJ argued in its objection that the bulk of the benefit from the
In a recent decision, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida denied a consumer’s motion for summary judgment and granted summary judgment in favor of a debt collector regarding claims under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The case is Encarnacion v. Financial Corporation of America, No. 2:17-cv-00566-SPC-UAM (M.D. Fla.
On February 26, the Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision that the deadline to seek permission for an interlocutory appeal of a decision granting or denying class certification cannot be extended through equitable tolling. Rule 23(f) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure allows for an interlocutory appeal of class certification orders, but
The attorneys general of all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam have offered their support to pending legislation, the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (“TRACED”) Act, aimed at significantly reducing robocalls. The support was in the form of a letter sent by
A Florida magistrate judge recommended that debt collector Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau’s motion for summary judgment be granted in a suit alleging the company violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by overshadowing the 30-day window to dispute a debt in a collection letter sent to plaintiff Cheryl Rafferty. The case is Rafferty v.
Last week a district court judge in the Northern District of Illinois granted a collection agency’s motion to dismiss, ruling that a collection letter, even coupled with a voicemail, did not present a sense of urgency sufficient to confuse an unsophisticated consumer in violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
At
On February 28, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) re-introduced the Protecting Job Opportunities for Borrowers (“Protecting JOBs”) Act (S.609). The legislation would prevent states from suspending, revoking, or denying state professional, teaching, or driver’s licenses solely because a borrower falls behind on their federal student loan payments.
Government entities may seize state-issued
A district court in Texas, in Young v. ProCollect, Inc. (N.D. Tex. Feb. 21, 2019), granted summary judgment in favor of a defendant debt collector, ProCollect, Inc., where claims were asserted by the plaintiff, Ronnie Young, on behalf of himself and a putative class, under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
In the complaint,
The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey recently dismissed a class action suit against a collection agency based on alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. In its opinion, which can be found here, the Court held that a single collection letter, which included two telephone numbers and an
On February 26, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing entitled “Who’s Keeping Score? Holding Credit Bureaus Accountable and Repairing a Broken System,” with the CEOs of the big three credit bureaus – TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian – testifying. The hearing was the first time the current CEOs of the major credit bureaus have