State Appeals Court Revives FDCPA Class Action Filed by Parent Named in Collection Letter
- A collection letter addressed to “PARENT OF” a minor child was enough to put a Pennsylvania father back in court. A trial judge tossed his FDCPA class action for lack of standing, then took the unusual step of telling the appeals court that its own ruling was wrong. The Superior Court agreed, and the analysis turns on four words in the statute’s definition of a consumer.
- More details here
Judge Dismisses FCRA Suit, Says Disputing Isn’t the Same as Alleging Inaccuracy
- He sent dispute after dispute, complete with a passport copy, proof of address, and his date of birth. Some tradelines came off his file. What he never did, a Louisiana federal judge ruled, was say what was actually wrong. The opinion draws a hard line between information that is disputed and information that is inaccurate, and explains why bad addresses, unauthorized hard inquiries, and “certain negative tradelines” all failed to clear the bar. He has 21 days to try again.
- More details here
D.C. Mayor Returns Medical Debt Bill Unsigned, Becomes Law Anyway
- Mayor Muriel Bowser refused to sign the District’s medical debt overhaul, sending it back to the Council with a detailed list of objections and a warning that the bill would render medical debt “effectively uncollectible.” It took effect anyway. Here is what survived, from the credit reporting ban to the 180-day clock, the 3% interest cap, and the garnishment restrictions, plus the timing quirk that determines when compliance obligations actually land.
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Filing the Same Motion Twice Doesn’t Buy More Time to Appeal
- A plaintiff let the 30-day window to appeal an injunction denial close, so he filed the same motion over again and argued the record had changed because his harm kept getting worse. The Eleventh Circuit was unpersuaded, and the opinion includes a memorable line about repackaging the corpse of an old motion. There is a narrow exception to the rule, and this is a useful primer on what does not qualify for it.
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Thirty-Nine State Bankers Associations Form Industry-Owned Blockchain Network
- Thirty-nine state bankers associations, chaired on an interim basis by former CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger, say they are building a blockchain network that banks will own rather than rent, with tokenized deposits, stablecoins, and automated settlement targeted for a 2027 launch. What the announcement does not include is nearly everything a compliance or risk officer would want to see first.
- More details here
Three Straight Years of Missed Forecasts Push Employers to Rethink Health Benefits
- Employers have now blown past their own healthcare cost projections three years running, and the most recent miss was the widest outside the first year of the pandemic. They are bracing for another 9.2% increase in 2027. Cancer tops the cost drivers for the fifth consecutive year, GLP-1 coverage is quietly retreating, and a striking share of employers are pointing the finger at artificial intelligence for what is showing up in their claims.
- More details here
41 Companies Seeking Collection Talent
- This week’s roundup spans entry-level medical collections and patient accounts roles, revenue cycle directors, litigation attorneys and paralegals, and a deep bench of engineering openings at banks, credit unions, and fintechs. Plenty of remote options in the mix, too.
- More details here
WORTH NOTING: A whole bunch of ways that Dolly Parton left her mark beyond singing and acting … Money moves you shouldn’t put off if you are waiting for the economy to improve … Bill Gates has a stark warning about the potential risks of the proliferation of AI … Why people like using AI chatbots when it comes to diagnosing potential health issues … If you start feeling run down in the middle of the afternoon, you are not alone … How to avoid being interrupted when speaking at work … I have two kids going to schools that are on this list … Why job hunting is like dating these days, but in all the worst ways.
Wisdom Wednesday, part I
Wisdom Wednesday, part II
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