It is commonplace today for businesses to include binding arbitration provisions in customer agreements. It is also common for these arbitration agreements to have a “delegation provision,” where the parties agree to delegate to the arbitrator – not the court – questions of whether the arbitration agreement applies to a dispute. But even when the
This past November, the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”) and the Federal Trade Commission signed an updated Memorandum of Agreement, which pledges ongoing efforts in the oversight and enforcement of laws pertaining to the advertising, sales, and enrollment practices of institutions of higher learning and other establishments that offer training for military education benefits
On November 15, Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) announced the Small Business Credit Protection Act – proposed legislation that would require consumer reporting agencies to inform small businesses of a nonpublic personal data breach within 30 days of the breach. If passed, the SBCPA also would prohibit credit bureaus from charging small
On October 18, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted a motion to compel arbitration filed by student loan servicer Navient Solutions, LLC because the arbitration provision in the promissory note signed by the plaintiff was broad enough to capture future credit reporting disputes. The case is Howard v. Navient Solutions
On September 10, the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Long v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority ruled that a group of plaintiffs lacked standing to assert claims brought under the Fair Credit Reporting Act relating to the defendant’s failure to provide statutorily-required information about their basic FCRA rights. The plaintiffs in Long alleged
On October 1, the State of Michigan will join more than 150 cities and counties as well as over 32 states in enacting a ban-the-box policy that prohibits asking job applicants if they have been convicted of a felony in an initial application. The policy applies to Michigan state positions and public employees, not private
On August 16, seven Democrat senators proposed a bill (S.3351, named the “Medical Debt Relief Act of 2018”) to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to cover certain provisions related to the collection of medical-related debt. The proposed act would institute a 180-day waiting period under the FCRA before
On August 3, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed a putative class action brought under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and Article III standing, relying on the 2016 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Spokeo Inc. v. Robins. As is commonplace in FACTA
On July 17, the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling of the Cole County Circuit Court dismissing a putative class action under the Fair Credit Reporting Act against multinational staffing company, Kelly Services, Inc.
A three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals issued a one-page order and eleven-page memorandum opinion upholding the lower
On July 5, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted summary judgment in favor of the Federal Trade Commission against Credit Bureau Service, LLC f/k/a/ MyScore LLC (“CBS LLC”) and its owner, Michael Brown, on charges that they deceived consumers with fake rental property ads and deceptive promises of “free” credit