​I.C. System ‘Harms’ Consumers With Unclear Debt Collection Letter, Class Action Alleges

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

I.C. System Collection Letter Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: A Texas consumer lodged a class action lawsuit against collections company, I.C. System, Inc.
• Why: The consumer claims that the I.C. System collection letters are unclear and violate federal law. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Texas federal court. 

Debt collector I.C. System, Inc. harms consumers with its unclear debt collection letters, which violate federal law, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit was filed in Texas on August 30 by lead plaintiff Adonus Taylor who alleges that the company violates the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) by sending consumers letters that do not clearly explain their rights in contesting a debt.

Consumer Confused by I.C. System Collection Letter

Taylor was sent a collection letter from the company on March 20, 2021, regarding an alleged debt with ATT DIRECT, which had contracted I.C. System to collect the alleged debt, the claim reads.

The letter stated: “Unless you notify us within 30 days after receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of this debt or any portion thereof, we will assume this debt is valid. If you notify us in writing within 30 days from receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of this debt or any portion thereof, we will obtain verification of the debt or obtain a copy of a judgment and mail you a copy of such judgment or verification.”

Taylor, who was previously unaware of the debt, claims that the language in the letter left him unsure whether he could dispute the debt by calling AT&T, or if he had to notify the debt collection agency of the dispute.

According to the FDCPA, the suit says, a debt collector must provide a consumer with a proper validation notice that is not overshadowed or contradicted by other language.

“Plaintiff, as would any least sophisticated consumer, read the above statements and was left confused as to their rights regarding how to dispute the debt.”

As a result, the claim alleges, Taylor was harmed by being “subjected to deceptive and misleading collection practices, from which they had a substantive right to be free,” and by being subjected to the increased material risk of financial harm. The claim says that Taylor was “deprived of a clear and concise understanding of their rights regarding how to dispute a debt.”

The FDCPA was enacted in 1977 in response to the “abundant evidence of the use of abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection practices by many debt collectors.”

At that time, Congress was concerned that “abusive debt collection practices contribute to the number of personal bankruptcies, to material instability, to the loss of jobs, and to invasions of individual privacy.”

Taylor wants to represent other Texas consumers and is suing for violations of the FDCPA. He seeks damages, legal fees and costs, and interest.

I.C. System collection letters have been the subject of other legal actions, along with debt collection calls made by the company. In 2017, a New York resident accused the I.C. Systems of using an unsecure envelope to send debt collection letters. 

A 2016 class action lawsuit claimed the company contacted a Michigan man illegally, using an unauthorized cell phone, over an alleged debt. 

Have you ever been sent to collections? Tell us whether your letter was clear on how you could dispute the debt in the comments section!

Taylor is represented by Yitzchak Zelman of Marcus & Zelman, LLC.

The I.C. System, Inc. Debt Collection Class Action Lawsuit is Taylor v. I.C. System, Inc., Case No. 1:21-cv-00460 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Beaumont Division.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Midland Credit Management Sends Vague, Misleading Debt Collection Letters, Claims Class Action Lawsuit
• Transworld Systems Debt Collection, ‘Unconscionable,’ Disclosed Debtor’s Private Info, Says Class Action
• Rash Curtis Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Class Members Could Claim Thousands
• Debt Collection Company Illegally Recorded Phone Calls Without Permission, Says Class Action Lawsuit