Kennedy v. CompuCredit Holdings Corp.

9 F. Supp. 3d 1314, 2014 WL 1284495, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45091
CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedMarch 31, 2014
DocketCase No. 3:12-cv-1128-J-25 PDB
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 9 F. Supp. 3d 1314 (Kennedy v. CompuCredit Holdings Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kennedy v. CompuCredit Holdings Corp., 9 F. Supp. 3d 1314, 2014 WL 1284495, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45091 (M.D. Fla. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER

HENRY LEE ADAMS, JR., District Judge.

This Cause is before the Court upon Defendants’1 Motion to Dismiss (Dkt. 46).

Background

Plaintiff Kennedy failed to pay $561.25 in consumer debt. Her account was charged off and sold to Defendant Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC (Jefferson Capital). On October 24, 2011, Jefferson Capital sent Plaintiff a letter (Offer Letter) giving her the opportunity to pay down the debt while at the same time qualifying for a new credit card through its Fresh Start Solution Program (Program). This workout plan allows a consumer to pay down debt for a discounted amount and potentially qualify for an unsecured credit card through Mid America Bank and Trust Company (Mid America Bank or Bank). The card is subject to a Bank Credit Card Agreement (Credit Card Agreement).

According to Plaintiff, “at the time of the October 2011 Offer Letter, Plaintiff’s alleged debt was indisputably time-barred in Florida and could not be collected in a court of law. Nonetheless, the Offer Letter advised Plaintiff that to participate in the Program, she had to pay at least [1316]*1316$184.00 within eight months. If Plaintiff had made all of the requisite payments, she would have qualified for a credit card with a $250 limit,2 and the remainder of the alleged debt (minus the debt reduction credit) would be transferred to the new card. Thus, once the stale debt was transferred to the card, Plaintiff would have $42.00 in credit available, at a 19.99 percent interest rate.

Notably, the Offer Letter advised Plaintiff that if she requested validation of her alleged debt pursuant to federal law, she would be ineligible for the Program, debt reduction credit, and credit card. Unbeknownst to Plaintiff, at the time she received the Offer Letter, Defendants could not have validated Plaintiffs debt and did not have any documentation from the original creditor. That is, Defendants threatened to withhold the benefits of the Program, such as a partial waiver of the debt, if Plaintiff exercised her validation rights under federal law, while knowing that they would be unable [to] validate the debt if Plaintiff disputed its validity” (record citations omitted).

Plaintiff enrolled in the Program and made four monthly payments. Defendants removed her from the Program when she stopped making payments.

Plaintiffs Complaint before the Court is a putative class action lawsuit which alleges that Defendants violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1692 et seq. (FDCPA) and the Credit Repair Organizations Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1679 et seq. (CROA) by making false, misleading, or deceptive representations and failing to make certain disclosures.

Defendants initially moved to dismiss and/or compel arbitration. The Court found that Plaintiff was not bound by the cited arbitration provision because it was contained in the Credit Card Agreement which addressed a card that she never qualified for, much less received. (Dkt. 32)

Defendant’s Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss is now ripe for consideration.

Standard3

“[0]nce a claim has been stated adequately, it may be supported by showing any set of facts consistent with the allegations in the complaint.” Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1969, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). The Court is restricted to consideration of the facts alleged in the complaint itself. Milburn v. United States, 734 F.2d 762, 765 (11th Cir.1984). Further, the facts set forth in the complaint must be viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Quality Foods De Centro America, S.A. v. Latin American Agribusiness Dev. Corp., S.A., 711 F.2d 989, 994-95 (11th Cir.1983).

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

As articulated by the Eleventh Circuit in LeBlanc v. Unifund CCR Partners, 601 F.3d 1185, 1190 (11th Cir.2010):

In enacting the FDCPA, Congress sought “to eliminate abusive debt collection practices by debt collectors, to insure that those debt collectors who refrain from using abusive debt collection practices are not competitively disadvantaged, and to promote consistent State action to protect consumers against debt collection abuses.” 15 U.S.C. § 1692(e); Brown v. Budget RenL-A-Car Syss., Inc., 119 F.3d 922, 924 (11th Cir.1997) (per curiam). Accordingly, the FDCPA prohibits debt collectors from using “any [1317]*1317false, deceptive, or misleading representation or means in connection with the collection of any debt” as well as the use of “unfair or unconscionable” means of collection. 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692(e) and 1692f. The FDCPA does not ordinarily require proof of intentional violation and, as a result, is described by some as a strict liability statute. See 15 U.S.C. § 1692k; Ellis v. Solomon and Solomon, P.C., 591 F.3d 130, 135 (2nd Cir.2010). Available remedies under the FDCPA include actual damages, the potential for additional damages up to $1,000 subject to the Court’s discretion, and reasonable costs and attorney’s fees. 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)(l)-(3).

Credit Repair Organizations Act

The term “credit repair organization”—

(A) means any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails to sell, provide, or perform (or represent that such person can or will sell, provide, or perform) any service, in return for the payment of money or other valuable consideration, for the express or implied purpose of—

(i) improving any consumer’s credit record, credit history, or credit rating; or

(ii) providing advice or assistance to any consumer with regard to any activity or service described in clause (I) ...

15 U.S.C. § 1679a(3).

Analysis

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 F. Supp. 3d 1314, 2014 WL 1284495, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 45091, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kennedy-v-compucredit-holdings-corp-flmd-2014.