NEW YORK – A member of Navy FCU is suing the credit union for harassment over thousands of phone calls she says Navy Fed made to her home and work to collect on her Visa “N Rewards” card.
The repeated calls, an average of six-to-12 a day starting in October 2009, were in violation of the Fair Credit Billing Act provisions of Reg Z, the Truth in Lending Act, according to the suit filed by Carolee Dempsey, of Coram, N.Y. She claims the credit union’s “merciless campaign to bully her into increasing her payments” included repeated verbal threats, including threats to garnish her child support payments and wages. When she stopped answering the calls after identifying Navy Fed through caller ID, the credit union would leave voice mail messages, she alleges.
The credit union member is asking the court to assess punitive damages for emotional distress, which manifested itself in stress, crying, anxiety, difficulty performing work and sleeplessness.
Officials at Navy Fed declined to comment.
