In the consolidated cases Espejo v. Santander Consumer USA Inc., No. 11 C 8987, 2016 WL 6037625 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 14, 2016) and Levins v. Santander Consumer USA Inc., No. 12 C 9431, 2016 WL 6037 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 14, 2016), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied Plaintiff Faye Levins' motion to certify a class pursuant Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(b)(3), finding that Levins failed to meet the prerequisites for class certification. While the court denied Levins' motion for class certification, it granted in part and denied in part Santander Consumer USA Inc.'s ...
On Tuesday the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued what is already being touted as a landmark ruling in PHH Corp. v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, No. 15-1177, 2016 WL 5898801 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 11, 2016), holding in a 2-1 decision that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the "CFPB"), and specifically its organization as a "single-Director independent agency" with no meaningful Presidential oversight, violates Article II of the United States Constitution, which in relevant part vests the authority to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed" in ...
In the wake of Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S.Ct. 1540 (May 16, 2016), the Supreme Court decision that had the chance to be legendary, but instead settled for punting back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, we are left wondering who the real winner was and what is the fallout for mere procedural violations of statutes for consumer claims?
Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins: Straight Back to the Ninth Circuit
In a 6-2 decision, with Justice Thomas concurring and Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor dissenting, the Supreme Court held that that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had failed to properly ...
On October 4, 2016, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that chapter 7 debtors who file a statement of intention to surrender real property in bankruptcy cannot later contest a foreclosure action, and bankruptcy courts have broad power and authority to sanction violations. Failla v. CitiBank, N.A., case no. 15-15626 (11th Cir. October 4, 2016). The bankruptcy court in Failla reopened a chapter 7 bankruptcy case several years after entry of discharge and ordered the debtors to cease their defense of the bank's foreclosure action, threatening to vacate the discharge order for ...
In the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling in Spokeo, Inc. v. Robins, 136 S. Ct. 1540 (U.S. May 16, 2016), a growing trend is emerging with respect to cases involving claims under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, 47 U.S.C. § 227 ("TCPA"). Indeed, while many early decisions held that "a violation of the TCPA is a concrete injury," see, e.g., Rogers v. Capital One Bank (USA), N.A., No. 1:15-cv-4016, 2016 WL 3162592, at *2 (N.D. Ga. June 7, 2016), more recently, some courts are requiring more. In fact, in Ewing v. SQM US, Inc. et al., Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo of the Southern District of ...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") issued updated examination procedures it will use to assess lender compliance with the Military Lending Act rule ("MLA"). The MLA rule was amended in 2015 and the new requirements for lines of credit, installment loans, and deposit advances go into effect on October 3, 2016. Credit card issuers have a later compliance date of October 3, 2017. The MLA applies to active duty servicemembers and covered dependents. The amendment expands the types of products covered by the MLA, requiring enhanced disclosures, and restricting loan ...