Man Alleges Abusive Debt Collection Practices by Premiere Credit

Man Alleges Abusive Debt Collection Practices by Premiere Credit

By John Curran

Student loan holder Lewis Brannen alleges in a new lawsuit that Premiere Credit of North America LLC employed illegal debt collection tactics and violated federal statutes, including the Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

Brannen alleges in the debt abuse lawsuit that Premiere Credit employees told him that he would be unable to discharge a student loan in bankruptcy and that the firm would attempt to garnish his wages. The former is not accurate, according to the lawsuit, while the latter would require Premiere Credit to serve Brannen notice.

Similar to Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) lawsuits naming Premiere as a defendant, the Alabama man alleges that he was bombarded with communications to his cell phone by the company, allegedly a violation of the FDCPA because he did not provide the number to the firm. The number of calls Brannen received were a sign of intent to harass as well, according to his lawsuit.

In order to induce Brannen to begin payments, the company also allegedly misrepresented both the amount that the man owed as well as the status of his loan. Along with damages because of violations of the FDCPA, the illegal debt collection lawsuit also seeks damages on violations of the TCPA because of the calls to Brannen’s cell phone. Due to the alleged willful disregard of the statute, he is seeking treble damages of $1,500 per communication from the debt collection firm.

Several recent TCPA lawsuits have alleged that Premiere Credit called cell phone numbers it should not have had access to in order to make robocalls or send illegal text messages to loan holders.

The Premiere Credit Debt Collection Lawsuit is Lewis Brannen v. Premiere Credit of North America LLC, Case No. 13-cv-00556, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

If you have been contacted by a company without your consent, especially via cell phone, you have legal options. Learn whether or not you are eligible to file a complaint when you fill out the short form at the Text Message Spam, Cell Phone Call TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation. Text spam lawsuit attorneys will review your potential case and outline your potential options. Damages citing the TCPA can net plaintiffs between $500 and $1,500 depending on a judge’s decision. It is important to act quickly, however, in order to avoid issues with statutes of limitations.

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