Consumers filed 159 Telephone Consumer Protection Act lawsuits in February, up 87% from 85 in February 2012 and up 3.9% from 153 in January, according to WebRecon LLC, a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company that tracks the data from U.S. district courts.
Year-to-date, consumers have filed 312 lawsuits citing TCPA violations, up 105% from 152 through February 2012.
An estimated 856 different collection agencies and creditors were sued in February under consumer statutes - mainly citing TCPA, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act violations.
Consumers filed a total of 932 FDCPA lawsuits in February, up two cases from 932 in January and up 14% from the 819 filed in February 2012.
FCRA lawsuits totaled 152 in February, down just three from January but a 32% drop from 223 FCRA cases filed in February 2012.
Of the total of 1,043 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in February, there were an estimated 1,544 unique plaintiffs, including 469 - or 30% - who previously have sued under consumer statutes. Combined, those plaintiffs have filed an estimated 2,498 lawsuits since 2001.
The top courts where lawsuits were filed include: Illinois Northern District Court, Chicago (75 lawsuits); Minnesota District Court, Dmn (46); Colorado District Court, Denver (40); and New York Eastern District Court, Brooklyn (38).
