A single lawsuit filed by a one attorney helped create a spike in Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) lawsuits filed in the May 16-31 reporting period, according to WebRecon LLC, a Grand Rapids, Mich.- based firm that tracks the data from U.S. District Courts.
Dale W. Pittman named 100 different plaintiffs in one FDCPA lawsuit, a case that also invoked the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). That led to a total of 660 lawsuits citing an FDCPA violation between May 16-31, up from 568 in the May 1-15 reporting period. Lawsuits alleging a TCPA violation totaled 101 in the May 16-31.
The total number of consumer statute lawsuits filed in the second half of May is estimated at 634, lower than the alleged FDCPA violations because of Pittman naming 100 plaintiffs in the single suit.
Consumers sued an estimated 584 different collection agencies and creditors between May 16-31. In the first half of May, consumers sued an estimated 568 collection agencies and creditors.
Year-to-date an estimated 5,928 total lawsuits have been filed against collection agencies and creditors - including 4,970 citing FDCPA violations, 543 TCPA violations and 516 Fair Credit Reporting Act violations.
Of the complaints in the May 16-31 period, there were an estimated 756 unique plaintiffs, of which 222 previously sued under consumer statutes. Combined, those plaintiffs have filed an estimated 1,283 lawsuits since 2001.
David M. Larson is the most active attorney in 2011, representing 150 consumers. He's followed by Craig T. Kimmel, 145 consumer, and Jack D. Card, 116 consumers.
To comment, contact Darren Waggoner at 815.463.9008 or darren.waggoner@sourcemedia.com.
