On May 15, the United States Supreme Court reversed and remanded a state court decision that invalidated an arbitration agreement. In a visceral 7-1 decision, the Supreme Court sent a clear message to Kentucky that the state cannot circumvent the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) merely because the court does not like arbitration clauses.
In Kindred
In one of the most significant post-Spokeo decisions to date, the Fourth Circuit unanimously reversed and dismissed a nearly $12 million Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) class action judgment, finding plaintiff, Michael T. Dreher, lacked Article III standing to bring his claims. The decision provides much needed clarity from the Fourth Circuit on the
On May 8, an Arizona federal judge held that a defendant debt collector was not entitled to a “bona fide error” defense in a claim brought under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act because the collector failed to show it had either a policy or procedure in force to address the specific error in the
The United States Supreme Court declined a petition for writ of certiorari by a consumer regarding a collection letter on law firm letterhead with attorney signatures. The ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in Tawanda Jones v. David Sean Dufek, Sr. was left in place, holding that a
Senate Bill No. 563 amends several provisions of the West Virginia Consumer Credit Protection Act (WVCCPA). The Bill passed the West Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates with high approval margins, and was signed into law by Governor Jim Justice on April 21, 2017. These amendments to the WVCCPA will have an impact on
On April 18, the United States Supreme Court heard long-awaited oral arguments in a case that addresses the fundamental issue of the definition of a “debt collector” under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Supreme Court’s decision will resolve an existing Circuit split on whether an entity that purchases defaulted debts and then attempts
On April 17, the Eastern District of Virginia dismissed sua sponte a suit against a collection agency alleging that the debt collector failed to properly update the plaintiff consumer’s credit report, thereby violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is continuing its pursuit of third–party collection law firms it believes misrepresent to consumers the level of attorney involvement in their collection practices.
On April 17, the CFPB filed suit in the Northern District of Ohio against Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A., for allegedly misrepresenting in millions
On March 31, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana denied a motion to dismiss where a collection letter sent to the plaintiff stated, “[b]ecause of the age of your debt, our client will not sue you for it,” when in fact there was no possibility of suing on the debt because
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey recently dismissed a putative Fair Debt Collection Practices Act class action against defendant debt collector, Retrieval-Masters Creditors Bureau, Inc. (“RMCB”), over allegedly violative letters dealing with unpaid E-ZPass tolls. A copy of the opinion can be found here.
As background, plaintiff Thomas E.