2020 was a transformative year for the consumer financial services world. As we navigate an unprecedented volume of industry regulation, Troutman Pepper is uniquely positioned to help its clients find successful resolutions and stay ahead of the compliance curve.
In this report, we share developments in 2020 on consumer class actions, background screening, bankruptcy,
On February 2, Judge Robert T. Dawson, in the Western District of Arkansas, granted a defendant debt collector’s motion for summary judgment. The court determined Monterey Financial Service LLC’s responses to plaintiff Kyle Steven Johnston’s debt validation request did not constitute harassment and satisfied Monterey’s obligations under the FDCPA.
At issue in the case was
On December 4, Judge William M. Conley, in the Western District of Wisconsin, granted a defendant debt collector’s motion to dismiss without prejudice. The Court determined that while the plaintiff Mikayla Fellenz has standing to sue under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), her claim that the identification of the creditor was confusing and
New Mexico’s Attorney General Hector Balderas announced on September 29 that his office has filed three lawsuits against debt collection companies. In his statement, Balderas explained that these lawsuits are part of a larger “crackdown” aimed at educating consumers and eliminating abusive debt collection practices within the state.
The lawsuits, filed against LVNV Funding,
On July 31, Judge J. Michael Seabright, in the District of Hawaii, denied a Defendant debt collector’s motion for summary judgment. In doing so, the Court rejected the Defendant’s argument that it could rely on an informal email from a state agency regarding compliance advice.
Previously, DNF Associates, LLC (“DNF”) had filed a lawsuit
After a flood of calls to its office, on April 3, the Office of the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts issued Guidance in Response to Some Frequently Asked Questions (“Guidance”) related to its prior emergency order regarding debt collection, codified at 940 CMR 35.00. The Guidance answers several questions,
On February 24, Judge Dale Kimball of the United States District Court for the District of Utah granted in part and denied in part a defendant debt collector’s motion for judgment on the pleadings. Plaintiffs Karl Buhler and Reginald Benoit, two Utah residents, filed a lawsuit against BCG Equities (BCG), claiming that it violated
On January 27, Judge Pamela K. Chen of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York denied a defendant debt collector’s motion to dismiss. Plaintiff Olga Madorskaya filed a lawsuit, individually and on behalf of a class, against Frontline Asset Strategies, LLC, claiming that a debt collection notice misrepresented the amount
On December 17, a magistrate judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California granted judgment in favor of defendant debt collector Enhanced Recovery Company (“ERC”), thereby dismissing plaintiff Rene Ortiz’s pro se claims for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The ruling was
On December 4, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit denied plaintiff Joanne Scanno’s attempt to obtain a larger fee award under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Third Circuit affirmed the District Court’s ruling that a reduction in the fees sought was warranted because not only