Blog/ Litigation Stats

Note: Starting this month, we are offering CFPB complaint statistics against debt collectors.

Quick analysis: This month, we begin including statistics from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s database on complaints filed about debt collectors. And the lead story is…. consumer complaints plummeted in October, after steadily increasing over the first three months. Scroll down to see the data. As for an explanation, well, we don’t have one yet. Since this is the first data we have seen, we’ll have to keep watching to spot the trends. It may be as simple as the lag time between complaints being filed and responded to before they are reported. We should be a little smarter in time for next month’s statistics.

As for litigation, the trend continues with FDCPA and FCRA filings on the decline, (8% YTD and 2% YTD, respectively). In a rare departure from the trends, TCPA also declined this period, though it is still up 66% over this time last year.

Litigation Statistics:

About 983 consumers filed lawsuits under consumer statutes in October 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 800 FDCPA
• 207 FCRA
• 162 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1088 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 356, or (32.7%), had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 1854 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 141 different US District Court branches.
• About 841 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 60 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 44 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 37 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 37 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 35 Lawsuits: Indiana Southern District Court – Indianapolis
• 30 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 30 Lawsuits: Florida Middle District Court – Tampa
• 27 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 26 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 24 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 43 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton
• Representing 28 Consumers: John Thomas Steinkamp
• Representing 28 Consumers: Michael Anthony Eades
• Representing 26 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 21 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 18 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 15 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 15 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 15 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 14 Consumers: David J Syrios

Statistics Year to Date:

10285 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 8914 FDCPA
• 1873 FCRA
• 1483 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 10856 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 296 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 245 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 201 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 195 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 178 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 171 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 169 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton
• Representing 152 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 152 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 147 Consumers: James O Latturner

————————————————————————————————

CFPB Complaint Statistics:

There were 1186 complaints filed against debt collectors in October 2013.

Total number of debt collectors complained about: 346

The types of debt behind the complaints were:

• 378 Other (phone, health club, etc.) (31.9%)
• 275 Unknown (23.2%)
• 259 Credit card (21.8%)
• 127 Medical (10.7%)
• 51 Mortgage (4.3%)
• 34 Non-federal student loan (2.9%)
• 30 Auto (2.5%)
• 30 Federal student loan (2.5%)
• 2 Payday loan (0.2%)

Here is a breakdown of complaints:

• 485 Cont’d attempts collect debt not owed (40.9%)
• 244 Communication tactics (20.6%)
• 233 Disclosure verification of debt (19.6%)
• 82 False statements or representation (6.9%)
• 80 Improper contact or sharing of info (6.7%)
• 62 Taking/threatening an illegal action (5.2%)

The top five subissues were:

• 322 Debt is not mine (27.2%)
• 181 Not given enough info to verify debt (15.3%)
• 156 Frequent or repeated calls (13.2%)
• 125 Debt was paid (10.5%)
• 61 Attempted to collect wrong amount (5.1%)

The top states complaints were filed from are:

• 163 Complaints: CA
• 104 Complaints: TX
• 98 Complaints: FL
• 92 Complaints: NY
• 47 Complaints: NJ
• 46 Complaints: AZ
• 45 Complaints: GA
• 41 Complaints: PA
• 34 Complaints: VA
• 31 Complaints: SC

The status of the month’s complaints are as follows:

• 751 Closed with explanation (63.3%)
• 241 Closed with non-monetary relief (20.3%)
• 127 In progress (10.7%)
• 29 Closed with monetary relief (2.4%)
• 25 Closed (2.1%)
• 13 Untimely response (1.1%)

This includes 1156 (97.5%) timely responses to complaints, and 30 (2.5%) untimely responses

Of the company responses, consumers accepted 1022 (86.2%) of them, and disputed 164 (13.8%) of them

The top five days for complaints were:

• 78 Complaints: 10/22/2013
• 74 Complaints: 10/31/2013
• 72 Complaints: 10/17/2013
• 71 Complaints: 10/18/2013
• 58 Complaints: 10/29/2013

Quick analysis: FDCPA & FCRA are down, TCPA is up. After several months of such trending, this appears to be the new normal. FDCPA is down 6% YTD from last year, FCRA is down 3% YTD, and TCPA is up a staggering 70% over YTD 2012. Note that TCPA is set to become even stricter starting October 16 (the date of this report), meaning that future months will reflect an even more fertile environment for consumer litigation. Our new projection for FDCPA litigation in 2013 is around 10,850 lawsuits, FCRA should have around 2300 lawsuits and TCPA will end up around 1775 lawsuits.

Full Statistics:

There were about 983 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in September 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 800 FDCPA
• 207 FCRA
• 162 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1088 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 418, or (38.4%), had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 2088 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 141 different US District Court branches.
• About 841 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 60 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 44 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 37 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 37 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 35 Lawsuits: Indiana Southern District Court – Indianapolis
• 30 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 30 Lawsuits: Florida Middle District Court – Tampa
• 27 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 26 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 24 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 43 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton
• Representing 28 Consumers: John Thomas Steinkamp
• Representing 28 Consumers: Michael Anthony Eades
• Representing 26 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 21 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 18 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 15 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 15 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 15 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 14 Consumers: David J Syrios

Statistics Year to Date:

9323 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 8131 FDCPA
• 1677 FCRA
• 1332 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 9934 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 271 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 214 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 175 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 171 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 163 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 143 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 132 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 131 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 126 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 123 Consumers: James O Latturner

Quick analysis: August 2013 saw litigation volumes more or less stabilize at pre-summer levels (after a summer drop), on track to end the year slightly below last year’s numbers. FDCPA litigation was the only category to drop from both last month (-2.3%) and last year (-16%), while FCRA and TCPA both rose significantly over the previous month (July 2013: FCRA +45.7%, TCPA +15.4%) and the same month of the previous year (August 2012: FCRA +22%, TCPA +72%). Year-to-date, FDCPA and FCRA are both down (-5%), while TCPA continues its march to strong growth (+65%).

Full Statistics:

There were about 1026 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in August 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 868 FDCPA
• 255 FCRA
• 165 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1118 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 373, or (33.4%), had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 1974 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 152 different US District Court branches.
• About 981 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 60 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 53 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 47 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 37 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 35 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 33 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 33 Lawsuits: Florida Southern District Court – Fort Lauderdale
• 31 Lawsuits: Florida Middle District Court – Tampa
• 28 Lawsuits: Georgia Northern District Court – Atlanta
• 27 Lawsuits: Florida Southern District Court – Miami

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 50 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 30 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 24 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 24 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 22 Consumers: Jason W Barnette
• Representing 20 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 19 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 18 Consumers: Adam Jon Fishbein
• Representing 17 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 15 Consumers: John Thomas Steinkamp

Statistics Year to Date: 8368 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 7333 FDCPA
• 1473 FCRA
• 1171 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 9049 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 250 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 188 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 167 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 154 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 149 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 135 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 119 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 117 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 115 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 111 Consumers: James O Latturner

FDCPA and Other Consumer Lawsuit Statistics, July 2013

Quick analysis: Consumer litigation snapped back to “reasonably normal” levels in July, after two months in a row of steep declines. While still 10% below last year’s July, and 4% below last year’s YTD, FDCPA lawsuits are back in the range of what we have come to expect, though certainly not as high as they have been historically. FCRA and TCPA, which also suffered dips in May and June, are back to pre-slump levels. Particularly TCPA, which has been the most aggressively growing area of litigation for a couple of years now.

Full Statistics:

There were about 1007 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in July 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 888 FDCPA
• 175 FCRA
• 143 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1124 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 407, or (36.2%), had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 2135 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 142 different US District Court branches.
• About 873 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 64 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 54 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 46 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 42 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 35 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 31 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 31 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 29 Lawsuits: New Jersey District Court – Newark
• 27 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 26 Lawsuits: Florida Southern District Court – Fort Lauderdale

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 41 Consumers: Casey Shannon Nash
• Representing 38 Consumers: Matthew James Erausquin
• Representing 38 Consumers: Dale Wood Pittman
• Representing 37 Consumers: Leonard Anthony Bennett
• Representing 36 Consumers: Susan Mary Rotkis
• Representing 31 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 30 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 22 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 19 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 18 Consumers: James O Latturner

Statistics Year to Date: 7313 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 6410 FDCPA
• 1213 FCRA
• 1002 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 7964 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 234 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 195 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 182 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 157 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 142 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 135 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 129 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 126 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 121 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 110 Consumers: Amy Lynn Bennecoff

Quick analysis: Numbers continue their mid-year tumble as FDCPA, FCRA and TCPA all showed significant declines for the second month in a row. In addition to falling from the previous month, FDCPA is now down 4% over the previous year – dipping below 2012 numbers for the first time this year. TCPA is the only category that is still aggressively up over last year, but by a smaller percentage than last month as well (May was 74% over May YTD 2012, June is 61% over  June YTD in 2012). The trend – if continued – is very likely going to cause full 2013 numbers to be lower than they were in 2012.

Full Statistics:

There were about 823 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in June 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 678 FDCPA
• 143 FCRA
• 105 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 944 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 334, or (35.4%), had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 1592 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 137 different US District Court branches.
• About 715 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 53 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 42 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 33 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 32 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 27 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 27 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 22 Lawsuits: New York Southern District Court – Foley Square
• 21 Lawsuits: Maryland District Court – Baltimore
• 21 Lawsuits: New York Western District Court – Buffalo
• 21 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 25 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 23 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 20 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 19 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 18 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 17 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 17 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 15 Consumers: Seth Andrews
• Representing 14 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 13 Consumers: John Thomas Steinkamp

Statistics Year to Date: 6322 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 5522 FDCPA
• 1038 FCRA
• 859 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 6956 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 203 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 182 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 152 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 135 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 127 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 120 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 111 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 107 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 103 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 101 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton

Quick analysis: May 2013 saw lawsuit filings drop dramatically across the board. FDCPA, which had been running strong compared to 2012, dropped from 7% above last year to just 1% up. FCRA increased its decline over 2012 from 8% down to 13% down, and TCPA, arguably the only holdout, decreased from 76% growth to 74% over 2012. We don’t see an obvious explanation for May’s weaker numbers, and therefore note that it is not likely to be a continuing trend.

Full Statistics:

There were about 946 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in May 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 800 FDCPA
• 154 FCRA
• 130 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1015 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 365, or (36%), had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 1964 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 172 different US District Court branches.
• About 1087 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 52 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 48 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 45 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 37 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 34 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 30 Lawsuits: Florida Southern District Court – Fort Lauderdale
• 29 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 25 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 23 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 22 Lawsuits: New York Western District Court – Buffalo

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 42 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 27 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 27 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 24 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 23 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 20 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 19 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 18 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 15 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 15 Consumers: Donald A Yarbrough

Statistics Year to Date:

5505 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 4850 FDCPA
• 891 FCRA
• 753 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 6110 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 179 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 163 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 126 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 115 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 113 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 106 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 99 Consumers: Amy Lynn Bennecoff
• Representing 94 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 89 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 87 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton

FDCPA and Other Consumer Lawsuit Statistics, April 2013

Quick analysis: FDCPA continues to reverse 2012’s downward trend, posting significant gains on a month-to-month basis as well as over last year. FCRA is also up significantly over last month, but it has dipped down below last year’s number, probably temporarily. Meanwhile, TCPA continues its explosive growth, coming close to doubling its numbers over last year.

Full Statistics: There were about 1285 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in April 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 1125 FDCPA
• 232 FCRA
• 156 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1376 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 464, or 34%, had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 2412 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 172 different US District Court branches.
• About 1087 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 73 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 61 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 52 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 36 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 35 Lawsuits: New York Western District Court – Buffalo
• 33 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 32 Lawsuits: Florida Southern District Court – Fort Lauderdale
• 31 Lawsuits: Georgia Northern District Court – Atlanta
• 30 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 30 Lawsuits: Indiana Southern District Court – Indianapolis

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 45 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 42 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 28 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 25 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 25 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton
• Representing 24 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 20 Consumers: John D Blythin
• Representing 20 Consumers: Mark D Mailman
• Representing 19 Consumers: David J Syrios
• Representing 19 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps

Statistics Year to Date:

4536 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 3989 FDCPA
• 710 FCRA
• 612 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 5150 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 136 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 134 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 97 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 95 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 88 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 85 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 74 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 74 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton
• Representing 71 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 69 Consumers: Amy Lynn Bennecoff

FDCPA and Other Consumer Lawsuit Statistics, March 2013

Quick analysis: FDCPA appears to be bucking 2012’s downward trend, posting modest gains again on a month-to-month basis as well as year over year. FCRA is also up over 2012, but it’s growth rate is down considerably. Meanwhile, TCPA has charged out of the gate, overwhelming last year’s explosive growth by nearly doubling its numbers over this time last year. While it is still too early to make this prediction, if the trends continue this might just be the year TCPA overtakes FCRA as the second most sued-under consumer statute.

Full Statistics:

There were about 1139 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in March 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 987 FDCPA
• 168 FCRA
• 141 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1177 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 435, or 37%, had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 2103 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 160 different US District Court branches.
• About 944 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 66 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 49 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 48 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 47 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 46 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 41 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 40 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 31 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 31 Lawsuits: New Jersey District Court – Newark
• 26 Lawsuits: Wisconsin Eastern District Court – Milwaukee

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 32 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 28 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 27 Consumers: David J Philipps
• Representing 27 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps
• Representing 26 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 24 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 22 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
• Representing 21 Consumers: Jody Berke Burton
• Representing 20 Consumers: Amy Lynn Bennecoff
• Representing 18 Consumers: John D Blythin

Statistics Year to Date:

3262 total lawsuits for , including:

• 2864 FDCPA
• 624 FCRA
• 478 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 3836 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

Representing 94 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
Representing 80 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
Representing 73 Consumers: David Michael Larson
Representing 67 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
Representing 63 Consumers: David J Philipps
Representing 55 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
Representing 55 Consumers: James O Latturner
Representing 55 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
Representing 47 Consumers: Angie K Robertson
Representing 47 Consumers: Mary Elizabeth Philipps

Quick analysis:  February rolled along pretty much as January did, holding FDCPA, FCRA and TCPA litigation fairly steady. Look for a solid springtime of consistent, if slightly increasing, litigation coming from consumers and their attorneys.

Full Statistics:

There were about 1043 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in February 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 934 FDCPA
• 152 FCRA
• 159 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1544 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 469, or 30%, had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 2498 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 152 different US District Court branches.
• About 856 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 75 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 46 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 40 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 38 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 33 Lawsuits: Florida Southern District Court – Fort Lauderdale
• 31 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 29 Lawsuits: New York Southern District Court – Foley Square
• 25 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 24 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 24 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Central Islip

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 426 Consumers: Deron Colby
• Representing 426 Consumers: Sasan K Behnood
• Representing 426 Consumers: Vito Torchia
• Representing 34 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 24 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 23 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 22 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 21 Consumers: Shireen Hormozdi
• Representing 19 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 19 Consumers: James O Latturner

Statistics Year to Date: 2133 total lawsuits for , including:

• 1866 FDCPA
• 307 FCRA
• 312 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 2726 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 426 Consumers: Deron Colby
• Representing 426 Consumers: Sasan K Behnood
• Representing 426 Consumers: Vito Torchia
• Representing 66 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 52 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 49 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 47 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 43 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 42 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 36 Consumers: David J Philipps

Quick analysis:  Well, this was the first month of 2013, and so far there is no indication that 2013 will be much different than 2012. FDCPA and FCRA remained at predictable levels, though there is a slightly higher than expected trajectory for TCPA litigation so far. As the fastest growing segment, many industry watchers will be keeping a close eye on TCPA over the coming year.

There were about 1079 lawsuits filed under consumer statutes in the  half of January 2013. Here is an approximate breakdown:

• 932 FDCPA
• 155 FCRA
• 153 TCPA

Summary:

• Of those cases, there were about 1210 unique plaintiffs (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit).
• Of those plaintiffs, about 366, or 30%, had sued under consumer statutes before.
• Combined, those plaintiffs have filed about 2186 lawsuits since 2001
• Actions were filed in 167 different US District Court branches.
• About 754 different collection firms and creditors were sued.

The top courts where lawsuits were filed:

• 66 Lawsuits: Illinois Northern District Court – Chicago
• 51 Lawsuits: New York Eastern District Court – Brooklyn
• 49 Lawsuits: Colorado District Court – Denver
• 43 Lawsuits: Minnesota District Court – Dmn
• 35 Lawsuits: California Southern District Court – San Diego
• 34 Lawsuits: California Central District Court – Los Angeles
• 31 Lawsuits: Pennsylvania Eastern District Court – Philadelphia
• 30 Lawsuits: Michigan Eastern District Court – Detroit
• 26 Lawsuits: Georgia Northern District Court – Atlanta
• 24 Lawsuits: Missouri Eastern District Court – St. Louis – Eastern Division

The most active consumer attorneys were:

• Representing 32 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 30 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 30 Consumers: Thomas Espinosa
• Representing 25 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 24 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 23 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 23 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 20 Consumers: Mark L Vavreck
• Representing 19 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 18 Consumers: David J Philipps

Statistics Year to Date:

1079 total lawsuits for 2013, including:

• 932 FDCPA
• 155 FCRA
• 153 TCPA

Number of Unique Plaintiffs: 1210 (including multiple plaintiffs in one suit)

The most active consumer attorneys of the year:

• Representing 32 Consumers: Sergei Lemberg
• Representing 30 Consumers: Daniel A Edelman
• Representing 30 Consumers: Thomas Espinosa
• Representing 25 Consumers: Craig Thor Kimmel
• Representing 24 Consumers: James O Latturner
• Representing 23 Consumers: David Michael Larson
• Representing 23 Consumers: Cathleen M Combs
• Representing 20 Consumers: Mark L Vavreck
• Representing 19 Consumers: Gary D Nitzkin
• Representing 18 Consumers: David J Philipps