Toliver v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc.

973 F. Supp. 2d 707, 2013 WL 5308281, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133968
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Texas
DecidedSeptember 19, 2013
DocketCivil Action No. H-12-2436
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 973 F. Supp. 2d 707 (Toliver v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Toliver v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc., 973 F. Supp. 2d 707, 2013 WL 5308281, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133968 (S.D. Tex. 2013).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

SIM LAKE, District Judge.

Toliver filed suit on August 14, 2012, against Experian Information Solutions, Inc. (“Experian”) and Trans Union, LLC (“Trans Union”) alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), and against LVNV Funding, LLC (“LVNV”) alleging violations of the FCRA and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”). Her claims arise from a failure to secure a mortgage allegedly resulting from inaccuracies in her credit report that caused her credit score to drop below the minimum required by the mortgage provider. Pending before the court is Defendant Experian’s Motion for Summary Judgment and Brief in Support (Docket Entry No. 41) on Toliver’s claims under §§ 1681e(b) and 1681i(a) of the FCRA. For the reasons discussed below, Experian’s Motion for Summary Judgment will be granted in part and denied in part.

I. Factual and Procedural Background

Toliver opened a Sears credit card in October of 1993.1 Between 2003 and 2005 she experienced financial difficulties.2 In late 2005 Toliver became delinquent on her Sears card account and eventually defaulted.3 Sears charged off the account in March of 2006.4

Sears sold the defaulted debt to LVNV in March of 2006.5 LVNV began reporting the account to Experian.6 LVNV reported the debt using the Metro 2 Format (“Met[711]*711ro 2”) developed by the Consumer Data Industry Association (“CDIA”) and published in the CDIA’s Credit Reporting Resource Guide.7 LVNV used the Metro 2 codes “OC” and “0” to report the account to Experian.8

In July of 2011 Toliver disputed several accounts that appeared on her credit report, including the LVNV account.9 Experian responded to these disputes by sending Automated Consumer Dispute Verifications (ACDVs) to the creditors reporting each of the disputed accounts.10 As a result, several accounts on Toliver’s Experian credit report contained a notation that they had been disputed by the consumer.11 LVNV responded to the ACDV on August 16, 2011.12 In its response, LVNV confirmed the nature of the debt, updated the balance amount and date, and added a notation of Toliver’s dispute.13

In the fall of 2011 Toliver sought a mortgage to purchase a home from K. Hovnanian American Mortgage (“K. Hovnanian”).14 After an initial review she was told that she would likely be approved, but that she could not close until the dispute notations were removed from her credit report.15 When the dispute notations were removed, however, Toliver’s credit score declined significantly.16 As a result of this decline,' K. Hovnanian informed Toliver that she would likely not be approved for the loan, and she withdrew her application.17

In October of 2011 Toliver’s attorney called LVNV, and LVNV placed the dispute notation for the LVNV account back on her credit report.18 When the dispute [712]*712notation was added back, her credit score increased significantly.19

In December of 2011 Toliver, through her attorney, sent a letter to Experian disputing the way that the LVNV account was reported on her credit report.20 In the letter Toliver disputed LVNV’s use of the Metro 2 codes “0C” and “0” to describe the account as well as several of the dates included in the report.21 Experian responded by letter on December 20 and sent an ACDV to LVNV on December 21, describing the basis of Toliver’s dispute.22 LVNV confirmed the nature of the debt by responding with the same Metro 2 codes that it had previously used, updated the balance amount and date, and added a notation of Toliver’s dispute.23

In May of 2012 Toliver, through her attorney, contacted Experian to dispute the LVNV account and the defaulted Sears account.24 Because both accounts were scheduled to be deleted from Toliver’s credit report less than a month later, in June of 2012, Experian decided to delete both accounts from her credit file.25 Experian mailed these results to Toliver on May 14, 2012.26

Toliver filed suit on August 14, 2012, against Experian and Trans Union alleging violations of §§ 1681e(b) and 1681i(a) of the FCRA, and against LVNV alleging violations of § 1681s — 2(b) of the FCRA and several sections of the FDCPA. Pending before the court is Experian’s Motion for Summary Judgment on Toliver’s claims under §§ 1681e(b) and 1681i(a) of the FCRA.

II. Standard of Review

Summary judgment is authorized if the movant establishes that there is no genuine dispute about any material fact, and the law entitles it to judgment. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(a). Disputes about material facts are genuine “if the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 2510, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law if “the nonmoving party has failed to make a sufficient showing on an essential element of her case with respect to which she has the burden of proof.” Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 2552, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986).

A party moving for summary judgment “must ‘demonstrate the absence of a genuine issue of material fact,’ but need not negate the elements of the nonmovant’s case.” Little v. Liquid Air Corp., 37 F.3d 1069, 1075 (5th Cir.1994) (en banc) (quoting Celotex, 106 S.Ct. at 2553, 106 S.Ct. 2548). “If the moving party fails to meet this initial burden, the motion must be [713]*713denied, regardless of the nonmovant’s response.” Id. If, however, the moving party meets this burden, “the nonmovant must go beyond the pleadings” and produce evidence that specific facts exist over which there is a genuine issue for trial. Id. (citing Celotex, 106 S.Ct. at 2553-54, 106 S.Ct. 2548). The nonmovant “must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts.” Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co., Ltd. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 1356, 89 L.Ed.2d 538 (1986).

In reviewing the evidence, “the court must draw all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, and it may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence.” Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 2110, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000).

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973 F. Supp. 2d 707, 2013 WL 5308281, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 133968, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/toliver-v-experian-information-solutions-inc-txsd-2013.