On June 12, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a significant opinion in the case involving Guardian Flight, LLC and Med-Trans Corporation, two air ambulance providers, against the defendant insurance company. This case centered around the enforcement of Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) awards under the No Surprises Act (NSA), a law enacted in 2022 to protect patients from unexpected medical bills from out-of-network providers during emergencies.
In response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) request for input on unnecessary compliance burdens, the debt collection industry, led by ACA International, is advocating for significant reforms to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Their primary focus is on eliminating rules that impose undue compliance burdens and conflict with existing debt collection regulations. Key proposals include the revocation of the “Revoke All” rule, restoration of the Established Business Relationship (EBR) exemption, and harmonization of TCPA rules with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
This article was republished in insideARM on June 17, 2025.
On May 22, Illinois House Bill 3352 passed the Illinois legislature and now awaits Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. This bill amends the Illinois Collection Agency Act to provide an individual a way to avoid liability for a coerced debt. HB 3352 defines coerced debt as a debt incurred due to fraud, duress, intimidation, threat, force, coercion, undue influence, or non-consensual use of the debtor’s personal identifying information as a result of domestic abuse, sexual assault, exploitation, or human trafficking.
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, alleging Global Circulation, Inc. (GCI) and its owner, Kenneth Redon III, violated the FTC Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and its associated Regulation F, § 521 of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and the FTC’s Trade Regulation Rule on Impersonation of Government and Businesses. On May 1, the FTC announced the parties entered into a stipulated permanent injunction and money order, prohibiting GCI and Redon from any further debt collection activities.
As technology advances, so do the tactics of scammers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently released a data spotlight on the top text scams of 2024, revealing a significant increase in financial losses despite a decrease in the number of reports. Specifically, in 2024, reported losses to text scams reached $470 million, more than five times the amount reported in 2020. Due to a lack of reporting, this number reflects only a fraction of the actual losses.
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued an order extending the effective date of certain parts of § 64.1200(a)(10) of its rules under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to April 11, 2026.
In a recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, the court granted a motion to dismiss in favor of a debt collection law firm and one of its attorneys who were not licensed as debt collectors in Indiana. The court found that a failure to be licensed did not provide for a private right of action under state law and did not violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Last month, we discussed the motion filed by the National Consumers League and four small business owners to intervene in the case of Insurance Marketing Coalition Limited. v. FCC. This motion aimed to challenge the Eleventh Circuit panel’s decision that vacated the FCC’s 2023 Order, known as the One-to-One Rule. Last week, the District of Columbia, along with 27 states, filed an amicus brief in support of a petition for rehearing en banc.
This article was republished on insideARM on March 18, 2025.
In a recent decision, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland granted summary judgment in favor of a debt collector who responded to a debtor’s letter disputing and refusing to pay a debt by providing validation of the debt. The court found that the debt collector’s actions did not violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
On February 19, the National Consumers League (NCL) and four small business owners filed a motion to intervene in support of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the United States in the case of Insurance Marketing Coalition Ltd. v. FCC. This motion seeks to challenge the panel’s January 24, 2025 decision that vacated the FCC’s 2023 Order, known as the One-to-One Rule.