On August 10, Massachusetts District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns granted preliminary approval of a $3.2 million class settlement agreement in a Telephone Consumer Protection Act class action filed against Collecto, Inc. The four named plaintiffs allege that Collecto made unauthorized telephone calls to class members’ cellular phones using an automated telephone dialing system in
Debt Buyers + Collectors
Seventh Circuit Holds That Debt Collector Cannot Avoid Liability Under FDCPA Despite Strict Compliance With Controlling Precedent
In a surprising decision involving a vigorous and scathing dissent, the Seventh Circuit ruled that a debt collector was liable under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act even when it followed the law that was in effect at the time the alleged violation took place. This alarming ruling raises an …
CFPB Settles Claims Against Aequitas Capital Management
On August 17, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a complaint and proposed settlement against Aequitas Capital Management, Inc. and its related entities, alleging that the loan buyer aided the Corinthian Colleges’ predatory lending scheme. According to the Bureau, Aequitas enabled Corinthian to make high-cost private loans to Corinthian students, giving the impression that the…
Northern District of Illinois Rules for Debt Collector on Challenge to 1099-C Language
On August 9, the Northern District of Illinois granted summary judgment to a debt collector who included 1099-C language in its collection letter. The Court held the language was not false or deceptive, and that no reasonable person could read the language otherwise.
In Moses v. LTD Financial Services I, Inc., et al., plaintiff…
Oregon District Court Enters Summary Judgment for Collector in Current Account Balance Case
On August 2, a Federal Court in Oregon entered summary judgment in favor of a collection agency, ruling that a debt collector must disclose to the consumer that interest accrues on an account only when such interest actually does accrue.
In Powers v. Capital Management Services, LP, plaintiff Diane Powers incurred a debt for …
House Thwarts CFPB’s Arbitration Rule
On July 25, the United States House of Representatives voted to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s latest arbitration rule.
As we reported previously, the CFPB issued a final rule banning class action waivers in arbitration provisions for covered entities, as well as requiring the covered entities to provide information to the …
Seventh Circuit Holds Rule 67 Tender of Full Relief Does Not Moot TCPA Class Action
In Campbell-Ewald Co. v. Gomez, 136 S.Ct. 663 (2016), the Supreme Court held that an unaccepted offer of full relief under Rule 68 to a named plaintiff was insufficient to moot class claims. However, the Supreme Court expressly left open the possibility of a “different result if a defendant deposits the full amount of …
Join Us for the Credit and Collection News Annual Creditor Grantor Consortium in Washington, DC
We are pleased to announce that Troutman Sanders partners Ashley Taylor and David Anthony will be featured speakers at the upcoming Credit and Collections News (CCN) Annual Creditor Grantor Summit. The conference will be held August 14-16, 2017 at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown, Washington, DC.
Ashley will speak on a panel entitled “Working with Your…
Join Us on August 17 for a Clear Law Institute Webinar “Game of Phones: Current Trends in Collection Calls under the TCPA, FDCPA, and other Regulatory Frameworks”
Join Troutman Sanders attorneys James Trefil and Jonathan Floyd for a webinar hosted by the Clear Law Institute on August 17 from 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. In this webinar, you will learn to navigate the various layers of rules and regulations that govern the use of debt collection telephone calls. This presentation will focus on…
Fifth Circuit Affirms FDCPA Violation Where Debt Collector Failed to Mark Account as Disputed
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed summary judgment on a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claim in favor of a debtor, finding that the debt collector violated the FDCPA when it failed to mark the debtor’s account as “disputed” when the collector reported the account to the bureaus.
Plaintiff Robert Sayles sued Advanced …