On October 31, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an opinion in Guzman v. HOVG, LLC, No. 18-3013, (E.D. Pa. Oct. 31, 2018), denying a debt collector’s motion to dismiss a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act-based action because the validation notice included in the collection letter did not clearly state that the debtor can

In Cooper v. Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau, Inc., 16 C2827, —F. Supp. 3d—, 2018 WL 2299203 (N.D. Ill. May 21, 2018), appeal filed (7th Cir. June 20, 2018), available here, plaintiff Jack Wesley Cooper alleged violations of the Fair Debt Collection Protection Act (“FDCPA”), seeking statutory and actual damages and attorneys’ fees.

At a

In a recent decision dismissing a purported class action against Zillow Group, Inc., launched by disgruntled purchasers of the company’s securities, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington provided a remarkably thorough—and an eminently useful—distillation of the federal judiciary’s emergent application of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act of 1974

Tim St. George, a partner in Troutman Sanders’ Consumer Financial Services practice, has been nominated as one of twenty-two of Virginia Lawyers Media’s Up & Coming Lawyers for 2018.  The “Up & Coming Lawyers” awards program, now in its third year, recognizes lawyers across the commonwealth who are making their mark within their first 10

On October 23, the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General sued multiple New York debt collection companies for using false and deceptive tactics to collect on debts.  On October 26, the United States District Court for the Western District of New York granted a temporary restraining order (“TRO”) prohibiting the defendants from

Arbitration clauses are ubiquitous in consumer and employment contracts.  Frustrated with that widespread use, on October 30, United States House of Representatives members Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.) introduced the “Restoring Justice for Workers Act.” The proposed legislation would outlaw use of class action waiver provisions in employment

On October 26, the Eastern District of Wisconsin issued a ruling dismissing a Fair Credit Reporting Act case. In Garland v. Marine Credit Union, the Court granted summary judgment in favor of the debt collector, holding the dispute was a legal issue such that the consumer could not establish a factual inaccuracy in the

The Court in Patterson v. Peterson Enterprises, Inc., No. 2:18-cv-161-RMP (E.D. Wash. Oct. 23, 2018) recently denied a motion to dismiss seeking dismissal of a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) claim due to the consumer plaintiff’s assertions that counterclaims in a previous collections lawsuit indicated that a debt was being disputed.  The Court

In a victory for mortgage lenders and servicers, the Virginia Supreme Court held on September 27 that Virginia’s five-year statute of limitations for a breach of contract claim based on a deed of trust begins to run when the loan is accelerated – not when a foreclosure sale is held much later.

By way of

Alarm.com has agreed to pay $28 million to settle a TCPA class action, which involves allegations that it sent unlawful telemarketing communications to more than 1.2 million consumers.  The parties filed a motion for preliminary approval of the class settlement, which is set for hearing on November 27.  The case, pending in the Northern