ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis man is suing Nationwide Credit Inc., citing alleged violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
Christopher W. Penrose filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against Nationwide Credit alleging that the debt collector violated FDCPA through abusive, deceptive and unfair debt collection practices.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that on Jan. 13, 2016, he suffered damages from the defendant's collection letter, which demanded immediate payment to an alleged debt within the 30-day validity period. It did not allow the plaintiff ample time to verify and dispute the alleged debt, which is inconsistent to any consumer's right to dispute the debt or request the name and address of the original creditor. The plaintiff holds Nationwide Credit responsible because the defendant allegedly coerced the plaintiff to pay the alleged debt by unlawful means and failed to inform him that he had 30 days from the day he received the letter to dispute the debt and obtain validation and verification.
The plaintiff seeks judgment against defendant, declaratory relief, actual and statutory damages, costs of action, attorney's fees and further relief as may be just. He is represented by Jovanna R. Bearden of Bearden Law in Butler.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Case number 16-cv-02125