A class action lawsuit has been filed in North Carolina federal court against a hospital network and the collection agency it uses, accusing them of violating state law in North Carolina as well as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by overcharging him for a visit to the emergency room and using “aggressive, manipulative, and illegal collection practices” to collect on the debts.
A copy of the complaint in the case of Cansler v. Vidant Medical Group et al. can be accessed by clicking here.
The plaintiff visited an emergency room back in 2018 with what appeared to be a kidney stone. He subsequently received a bill for his stay, which included $3,119.39 for a CT scan. That amount was more than 11 times what Medicare billed for the test.
After some back and forth with the hospital, the debt was placed with a collection agency, and it called the plaintiff and sent him a collection letter in October 2020. The plaintiff subsequently disputed the debt and it was recalled back to the hospital. Three months later, it was placed back with the agency and it sent the plaintiff another collection letter. The plaintiff again disputed the debt and requested that all future communications from the agency be in writing.
The plaintiff alleges the collector violated Regulation F and the FDCPA by contacting him at his place of work after informing the agency that he wanted all future communications to be in writing. The agency also allegedly attempted to collect a unlawful debt, also an alleged violation of the FDCPA and Regulation F.
