Photo of Kathleen Hutchenreuther

Kathleen is an associate in the Consumer Financial Services Practice Group which includes work in consumer law, business disputes, and commercial litigation in both federal and state court. Specifically, Kathleen focuses on defending against claims arising under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and Regulation X, Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), as well as other federal and state statutes, and common law.

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida recently relied on an Eleventh Circuit prohibition against “shotgun pleadings” to dismiss with prejudice a pro se plaintiff’s claims. In Dressler v. United States Department of Education, plaintiff Sandra Dressler brought a ten-count complaint against nine defendants. She alleged violations of the Fair Credit

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a district court’s dismissal of a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) lawsuit over disclosure of the amount of debt owed.

Plaintiff Yuri Kolbasyuk sued debt collector Capital Management Services, LP (“CMS”) over a dunning letter that CMS sent him. CMS had been hired

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas recently ruled that a plaintiff has statutory standing to sue under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, despite the fact that the debt collector was attempting to collect a debt from the plaintiff’s son, not from the plaintiff himself.

The plaintiff’s name is “Christopher O.

2018 was a busy year in the consumer financial services world. As we navigate the continuing heavy volume of regulatory change and forthcoming developments from the Trump administration, Troutman Sanders is uniquely positioned to help its clients successfully resolve problems and stay ahead of the compliance curve.  

In this report, we share developments on

In a concise opinion, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois recently held that a dunning letter did not violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requirement to state “the amount of the debt,” despite omitting safe harbor language recommended by the Seventh Circuit.  

In Tena

The federal government shutdown continues and, in the wake of the President Donald Trump’s Oval Office address in support of the border wall, it appears that it could continue for some time. Press reports say approximately 800,000 federal workers are furloughed or working without pay. Consumer-facing companies are asking: What is the impact of the

What is a sufficient disclaimer regarding the statute of limitations on time-barred debt?  Courts across the country continue to wrestle with this question in a variety of contexts, including oral disclosures made to consumers over the phone.  In Jones v. Synergetic Communications, Inc., the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of

Does a debt collector risk violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act if it fails to provide an oral disclosure regarding the statute of limitations during an incoming call with a consumer?  In a comprehensive opinion, a district court just issued a resounding “no.” 

In Douglas v. NCC Business Services, Inc., consumer

How the FCRA Accurate Reporting Requirement Interacts with Temporary Forbearance Plans

This past summer, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit evaluated a $25-per-month mortgage forbearance plan and concluded that reporting the borrower as delinquent despite her forbearance payments was accurate and not materially misleading.