Lawsuits citing alleged Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) violations held steady (564) in the first half of April compared with the second half of March (562) while the total number of consumer statute lawsuits jumped to 617 from 570, according to data from U.S. District Courts.
Trailing FDCPA cases, there were an estimated 73 Fair Credit Reporting Act violations and 14 Truth-in-Lending Act infractions in the April 1-15 period, according to WebRecon LLC, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based research firm that compiles the data from the courts. Some lawsuits listed more than one statute violation
An estimated 504 different collection agencies and creditors were sued between April 1-15, down slightly from 515 between March 16-31, which was the highest half-month period thus far in 2011. April's first half exceeded the number for March 1-15, when 417 agencies and creditors were sued.
Between April 1-15, an estimated 624 unique plaintiffs filed lawsuits. Of those, approximately 185 previously sued under consumer statutes. Combined, those plaintiffs have filed an estimated 1,118 lawsuits since 2001.
Year-to-date there have been 3,437 total lawsuits filed against collection agencies and creditors, including 3,251 citing an FDCPA offense and 368 citing and FCRA violation.
Craig T. Kimmel was the most active attorney in the recent reporting period, representing 36 consumers. Kimmel, having represented 105 consumers in 2011, trails only David M. Larson, who has represented 106 consumers.
To comment, contact Darren Waggoner at 815.463.9008 or darren.waggoner@sourcemedia.com.
