FRESNO – A Clovis consumer claims a debt collector failed to mark an alleged debt as disputed.
Cagkan Firat filed a complaint on March 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Fresno Division against the Collection Bureau of America over alleged violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that in May 9, 2017, he submitted a written dispute of his alleged debt to defendant via electronic mail. Despite receiving his dispute letter, the plaintiff alleges the defendant continued its collection activities and continues to report to the credit reporting bureaus that he still owed the alleged debt and failed to note that his account was disputed.
As a result, Firat alleges he was caused to suffer a significant amount of stress and anxiety.
The plaintiff holds Collection Bureau of America responsible because the defendant allegedly communicated with a consumer-reporting agency and provided false credit information and/or failed to communicate that the alleged debt is disputed.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment for actual damages, statutory damages of $1,000, with litigation and reasonable attorneys’ fees, punitive damages, and such other and further relief as may be just and proper. He is represented by Trinette G. Kent of Lemberg Law LLC in Wilton, Connecticut.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, Fresno Division case number 1:18-cv-00328-AWI-BAM