The number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act are 34% higher through the first 10 months of 2016, compared with last year, according to data released earlier today by WebRecon.
Individuals have filed more than 4,000 TCPA lawsuits through October 31, 2016, up from 3,115 during the same period last year. The number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act are up 9% over last year’s total, while the number of lawsuits alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act are down 12% on a year-over-year basis. As well, the number of complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are down 4% from last year.
At their current pace, it is possible for the number of TCPA lawsuits to crack the 5,000 barrier, WebRecon predicts.
There were 1,637 lawsuits filed in October, compared with 1,660 in September and 1,919 last October.
Of the lawsuits filed in October, 36% had previously filed a lawsuit alleging a violation of the FDCPA, FCRA, or TCPA. The Northern District of Illinois was the court were the most lawsuits were filed. Elliot Gale was the most active plaintiff’s attorney in October, filing 72 lawsuits. Todd Friedman is the most active through the first 10 months of 2016, filing 388 lawsuits, nearly 60 more than Matthew Berry.
Among CFPB complaints, credit card and medical debts were the most common type of debt being complained about, and the continued attempt to collect a debt not owed was the most common complaint.
