BEAUMONT — A third-party debt-collection agency that conducts business in Texas is facing a lawsuit by a man who claims it harassed him and his sister and threatened to put him jail.
Justin Hickey filed a complaint on Oct. 29 in the Beaumont Division of the Eastern District of Texas against the CBE Group, Inc., alleging violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Texas Debt Collection Act.
Hickey obtained a personal loan in 2016 from Speedy Cash, on which he defaulted and in June 2019 began receiving debt-collection calls on his cell phone, according to the complaint. Hickey claims he and his sister, who also received calls, were told he would be arrested if he did not pay.
"The defendant's phone-harassment campaign and illegal collection activities have caused the plaintiff actual harm," Hickey's lawsuit alleges.
Hickey seeks monetary and injunctive relief, trial by jury and all other just relief. He is represented by Alexander Taylor, Marwan Daher and Omar Sulaiman of the Sulaiman Law Group Ltd. in Lombard, Illinois.
Beaumont Division of the Eastern District of Texas case number 1:19-cv-00538-MAC