Fair Debt Collection Practices Act litigation is projected to end 2012 with close to 11,500 lawsuits, down roughly three percent from more than 12,000 in 2011, according to data gathered from U.S. district courts. Through Dec. 15, FDCPA lawsuits totaled 11,040.
Fair Credit Reporting Act and Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits in 2012 are tracking 21 percent and 35 percent, respectively, ahead of 2011. Year-to-date FCRA cases through Dec. 15 reached 2,157. TCPA lawsuits through that date totaled 1,034. WebRecon LLC, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company, tracks the data from the courts and produced a twice monthly report.
Consumers sued an estimated 479 different collection agencies and creditors in the Dec. 1-15 period. There were an estimated 502 total lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in the period, including 499 FDCPA cases, 86 FCRA cases and 45 TCPA cases. Of the total, there were an estimated 538 unique plaintiffs, including 186 (or 35 percent) who previously had sued under consumer statutes. Combined, those plaintiffs have filed approximately 1,000 lawsuits since 2001.
Actions in the Dec. 1-15 period were filed in 281 different district court branches. The top courts where lawsuits were filed include: Colorado District Court - Denver (34 lawsuits); Pennsylvania Eastern District Court - Philadelphia (24); and Illinois Northern District Court - Chicago (23).
The most active consumer attorneys this year include: Sergei Lemberg, representing 353 consumers; David M. Larson (339) and Craig T. Kimmel (268).
