U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty, in the District of New Jersey, ruled last week in Bock v. Pressler & Pressler that a debt collection law firm violated the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act). The law firm apparently did not conduct a “meaningful review” of a collection claim filed against a consumer.
Bock had filed a federal court action against Pressler, alleging that Pressler had filed their State complaint against Bock without meaningful review by an attorney. His case work (Pressler employees working on behalf of the debt holder – Midland Funding LLC) was carried out by non-attorneys (a non-issue), but when it came time for the attorney review prior to filing the case with the State, the firm’s computer system shows a file accessed for review for only four seconds.
The standards set forth in the case Lesher v. The Law Offices Of Mitchell N. Kay in 2011 played a role in Judge McNulty’s decision. McNulty wrote that Lesher “establishes that it is false and misleading, within the meaning of FDCPA, for an attorney to send a debt collection letter without having meaningfully reviewed the case.”
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