More Than 700 Agencies, Creditors Sued In April's Second Half

An estimated 718 different collection agencies and creditors were sued between April 16-30, according to data pulled from U.S. District courts.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuits through the first four months of 2012 were up significantly compared with the year-ago period, reports WebRecon LLC, The Bureau of Litigant Data, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company that pulls the data from the courts.

FCRA cases totaled 749 through April 30, a 69.1% jump from 443 in the year-ago period. TCPA cases totaled 341 through April 30, up 84.3% from 185 in the year-ago period.

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) lawsuits totaled 3,659 through April 30, down 2.9% from 3,767 in the year-ago period.

Between April 16-30, consumers filed an estimated 617 lawsuits, including 550 FDCPA cases - up from 460 between April 1-15 and 491 in the year-ago period. Consumers in the second half of April filed 81 FCRA actions, compared with 59 in the year-ago period, and 41 TCPA lawsuits, compared with 21 a year ago.  

Of the total lawsuits in the second half of April, there were an estimated 699 unique plaintiffs, including 224 who previously had sued under consumer statutes. Combined, those plaintiffs have filed 1,291 lawsuits since 2001.

The most active consumer attorneys year-to-date include: Sergei Lemberg, representing 110 consumers; David M. Larson (106); Craig T. Kimmel (102); and David J. Philipps (78).

To comment on this story, contact Darren Waggoner at darren.waggoner@sourcemedia.com or (312) 777-1379.

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