HOUSTON – A Wisconsin-based debt collector is facing a lawsuit filed by a Montgomery County man over allegations it is not legally permitted to collect debts in Texas.
Jeffrey Lombardo, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint on May 6 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Associated Collectors Inc. alleging violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
The suit states an alleged debt owed by the plaintiff was transferred by the original creditor to the defendant for collection. The plaintiff alleges the defendant contacted him in November 2018 and told him that it was legal for it to collect debts in Texas. The suit states a surety bond is required for a debt collector to collect debts in the state and that the defendant's bond was terminated in 1997.
The plaintiff is seeking trial by jury, statutory damages of $1,000 under the FDCPA, attorney's fees, court costs, relief deemed fit, statutory damages of $1,000. The plaintiff is represented by Jeffrey D. Wood of The Wood Firm PLLC in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number 4:19-CV-1654