Skip to main content

Search

Fair Debt Collection: 2.5.11 FDCPA Claims Are Frequently Determined by Summary Judgment

In FDCPA suits and in actions under state debt collection statutes, the legal proscription may be so clear and narrow, particularly when liability may be established by a debt collection letter or other document, that factual issues can be determined early in a case. In such cases, liability issues may be decided by partial summary judgment, and only the issue of the damages may need to be tried or negotiated.94 A sample motion and supporting memoranda on summary judgment are available online as companion material to this treatise.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.4.3 Notifying the Collector That Bank Account Is Exempt from Seizure

Some types of income, such as Social Security and public assistance benefits, are exempt from creditors’ postjudgment remedies and that exemption follows those funds into bank accounts in most circumstances.45 However, it is not unusual for a creditor to have those funds frozen until the debtor establishes the exemption in court. Freezing the account of a low-income household can be devastating even for a short time as there are usually no reserves for medications, rent, food, heat, etc.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.4.4 Proposing a Workout Agreement

Probably the most common consumer strategy (but not necessarily the best) is to work out payments with those collectors who have most effectively harassed them. Many collection agencies and some creditors will take an initial position that they must receive payment of the balance in full. They will urge the consumer to borrow from a loan company or relatives to pay off the debt.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.4.5 Complaining to Consumer Protection Agencies

Another strategy to stop collection harassment is for the consumer (or lawyer) to write an e-mail or letters to state and federal agencies responsible for enforcing the laws against debt collection abuse. While the government agency is not likely to investigate unless it has other complaints against the same collector (which probably cannot be known beforehand), sending the collector a copy of the complaint letter may produce good results.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.4.6 Complaining About Billing Errors

If collection letters ask for more than is due or some other possible mistake is on the bill (for example, wrong account, wrong person, insurance paid the bill), the consumer should write to the collector and request that the mistake be corrected.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.4.8 Evaluating Strategies for Harassed Debtors

Whether a harassed debtor should use one or more of the five strategies discussed above, or whether that debtor instead should document the collection misconduct and institute suit or file bankruptcy will depend upon a number of considerations. For example:

Client’s objectives

Fair Debt Collection: 2.5.1 Client’s Recording of Phone Calls

When legal, evidence of collection abuse and of the client’s credibility might be obtained by the consumer recording a collection telephone call. This option is only available in certain states, because in other states recording a phone call without consent is a criminal offense. There are also legal ethical considerations if an attorney advises the client to record a telephone call.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.5.2 Client’s Written Statement

Because it may be a long time between the initial interview and trial, it is a good idea to obtain a statement of the client’s story, signed by the client. The statement may be used at trial to refresh the client’s memory.65 The effect of this statement on the client-attorney privilege and the work product rule is beyond the scope of this subsection but should be considered by counsel.66

Fair Debt Collection: 2.5.3 Some Fee-Generating Debt Collection Cases Must Be Referred to Private Lawyers by Legal Services Corporation Grantees

Debt collection harassment cases that are truly “fee-generating” may have to be referred to private attorneys pursuant to the Legal Services Act67 and implementing regulations.68 Increasing numbers of private attorneys have been accepting clients on a contingent-fee basis in debt collection abuse cases,69 although there are generally far more cases than there are attorneys willing to take them.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.5.4 Developing the Case Chronology of Events

An important first step in developing a case for debtor harassment is preparing a chronology of the events involved in the harassment. Events seemingly insignificant to the claim may prove significant later, may aid a witness’s memory, or may indicate discrepancies in evidence. There are usually a substantial number of documents connected with a consumer transaction; these are particularly useful for pinpointing significant dates in a chronology.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.1 Maximizing Damage Awards

A working knowledge of the law and practice of proving damages is crucial in both the negotiation and the trial stage of a debt collection abuse case. An attorney who has not developed the evidence of damages in a case has little idea of where to start and terminate negotiations.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.2.1 General Principles

A common and costly mistake made by an attorney in a debt collection abuse case is to pay insufficient attention to the nature and extent of the client’s actual damages. Ask about the stress the consumer suffered and how long the distress continued. When the abuse is egregious and the resulting distress, lasted many days the damages may be valued in five figures.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.2.2.1 Introduction

Types of injuries for which consumers have obtained damages in typical abusive debt collection situations are listed below. More detail with case citations is found at § 11.8, infra. Whether these injuries are legally compensable in a particular case may depend upon the type of legal claim.97

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.2.2.3 Medical conditions arising from debt collection abuses

Medical conditions are also related to debt collection abuses, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, sensitive stomach, loss of weight, tooth pain where debt collector took funds saved for dental work, ulcers, diabetic flare-ups, miscarriage, heart attack, heart palpitations, angina, chest constrictions, becoming bedridden, pain and suffering, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness, fainting, blacking out, skin eruptions and great pain from shingles, aggravated existing illness, and extended illness.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.2.2.4 Out-of-pocket losses

Section 11.8.4, infra, sets out a discussion and court decisions regarding various types of out-of-pocket losses caused by debt collection violations, including loss of job, income, work time or leave from a job; impairment of job advancement; medical or counseling expenses; medication or special diet; telephone charges; payments on an invalid claim or a debt barred by a statute of limitations; transportat

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.2.2.5 Injuries to personal relations

Section 11.8.5, infra, sets out various case decisions awarding damages for injury to the following type of relations: injury to reputation; harm to credit rating, loss of access to credit and to employment; loss of privacy; loss of consortium; strain to marriage; strain with family; demotion by employer; and humiliation.

Fair Debt Collection: 2.6.3 Evidence Establishing an Injury’s Existence, Cause and Value

A key question in recovering actual damages is how extensive the evidence of consumer injury must be. There are different standards as to adequate proof that there is an injury and the dollar value of that injury. In fact, evidence of the dollar value of the injury is often unnecessary. The trier of fact may attach dollar amounts to some injuries (nausea, headaches, or anxiety, for example), without any proof of their value.