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