People Come First At Our Consumer Rights Law Firm
This October, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) released is Fall Highlights Report. In its report, the CFPB describes areas in which its new rules have been successful and areas in which it needs improvement, as violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) are still a regular occurrence. The first area of concern for the CFPB was the…
Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”), a collection agency is prohibited from misrepresenting itself to a debtor when collecting a debt. Specifically, a collector is forbidden from misrepresenting itself as a member of law enforcement, a government official or a lawyer. While the law seems fairly straight forward, a recent case against Corrective Solutions filed in the United…
On September 29, 2014 we filed a lawsuit against the Law Offices of Michael Stillman, who does business as Stillman Law Office, on behalf of a consumer. Instead of fighting, Stillman wisely conceded and allowed a judgment to be entered against it based upon the allegations in the complaint. Another victory for consumers. The complaint in Whiting v. Stillman Law…
Whole Foods Market Group, Inc. (“Whole Foods”), the giant grocery retailer, is just one of the latest companies to be sued for allegedly violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) during employment background checks. Earlier this year, in a California District Court, Whole Foods was sued for allegedly using invalid authorization forms during employment background checks and for conducting background…
In a Florida Court, Joyce and Nelson Coniglio were recently awarded $1 million for violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) after Bank of America continued to contact the consumers over a four year period for failure to make payment on their mortgage loan. In the order, the Judge stated the repeated calls were a violation of the TCPA…
In a class action case against Dollar General Stores, a federal court in Virginia is being asked to approve a settlement reached between the parties for $4 million. In the case against this retail giant, the store was accused of conducting employment background checks without Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) compliance. This case began when two plaintiffs, Jonathan Marcum and…
Most LinkedIn users use their profiles as a networking tool when looking to change employment or make new business connections. Despite its growing success, a group of members of this website have filed suit under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) alleging that a tool called the “Reference Search” ruined their chances of getting hired by potential employers. The way…
Your credit report, which contains a running list of any credit accounts you hold, is a key component in your qualifications to receive a loan, a mortgage, a new credit card, even getting a job and renting an apartment. Understanding how your credit report works is as easy as remembering these 10 simple facts so you are better prepared to…
In a recent newsletter, the CPFB warned Americans about the growing problem faced by the elderly, debt and abusive debt collectors. Over the past two years, the CFPB has noticed a steady incline of complaints filed by older consumers regarding debt collection. After reviewing these complaints placed with the CFPB, the most common problem suffered by these consumers revolved around…
This fall, when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued its latest report, it was quick to point out that violations are still occurring under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) and the Unfair Deceptive or Abusive Acts or Practices (“UDAAP”) relating to collection activities. Regarding debt collection, the CFPB discovered four areas of concern where compliance is still…