Affirmative Defenses

In Ringenbach v. DirecTV, LLC, No. 4:21 CV 1400 CDP, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 214026, at *2-4 (E.D. Mo. Nov. 29, 2022), Judge Perry denied a debt collector's motion to compel discovery of settlements with other co-defendants because she held that offset is not an affirmative defense under the FCRA/FDCPA. I.C. System's motions will be denied as it cites no… Read More

In Youssofi v. Allied Interstate LLC, 2016 WL 29625, at *2-3 (S.D.Cal., 2016), Judge Curiel struck an FDCPA defendant's assertion of FDCPA pre-emption over the Rosenthal Act. Plaintiff argues that these affirmative defenses fail as a matter of law and cites to the holding in Gonzales v. Arrow Fin. Servs., LLC, 660 F.3d 1055 (9th Cir. 2011). Defendant opposes contending… Read More

In Savage v. Citibank N.A., 2015 WL 4880858 (N.D.Cal., 2015), Judge Freeman addressed whether a Rosenthal Act/TCPA Defendant's affirmative defenses should be stricken due to factually inadequate pleading. Defendants' sixth affirmative defense of unclean hands, eighth affirmative defense of laches, ninth affirmative defense of waiver, tenth affirmative defense of estoppel, eleventh affirmative defense of justification, and twelfth affirmative defense of ratification… Read More

In Jacobson v. Persolve, LLC, 2014 WL 4090809 (N.D.Cal. 2014), Judge Koh found an FDCPA class-action defendant’s Rule 68 offer to the class representative did not moot either the Action or the represenative’s ability to bring class claims. The Court agrees with Persolve that Plaintiff's Motion to Strike Persolve's Offer of Judgment is procedurally improper. Persolve's Offer of Judgment was… Read More

In Polk v. Legal Recovery Law Offices--- F.R.D. ----, 2013 WL 3147728 (S.D.Cal. 2013), Judge Whelan refused to apply the Iqbal/Twombly pleading standard to affirmative defenses.  Although Judge Whelan ultimately found the affirmative defense not adequately pleaded factually, Judge Whelan found that 'good faith' could be an affirmative defense to a Rosenthal Act claim -- unlike the FDPCA. A good faith defense… Read More

In Wiebe v. Zakheim & Lavrar, P.A., 2012 WL 5382181 (M.D.Fla. 2012), Judge Smith found that a debt collector had adequately pleaded facts supporting a ‘bona fide error’ affirmative defense. The Defendant's First Affirmative Defense of “bona fide error,” is based upon 15 U.S.C. § 1692k(c) which provides that under the FDCPA, a debt collector is shielded from liability if… Read More

In Ansari v. Electronic Document Processing, Inc., 2012 WL 3945482 (N.D.Cal. 2012), Judge Koh applied Iqbal/Twombly to FDCPA affirmative defenses. This Court previously considered both of Defendants arguments in Perez. With respect to Defendants' first argument, as set forth in Perez, notwithstanding the textual differences between Rule 8(a)(2) and Rule 8(b)(1)(a), “it is well established that ‘[a]ffirmative defenses are governed… Read More

In Ear v. Empire Collection Authorities, Inc., 2012 WL 3249514 (N.D.Cal. 2012), Judge Conti addressed the post-Iqbal/Twombly standard required for pleading affirmative defenses under the Rosenthal Act/FDCPA. It is true that there is a split within this circuit, but judges in this district have, uniformly so far as the undersigned can tell, adopted the plausibility standard. E.g., Barnes v. AT… Read More

In Perez v. Gordon & Wong Law Group, P.C., 2012 WL 1029425 (N.D.Cal. 2012), Judge Koh applied Iqbal/Twombly to a debt collector’s affirmative defenses, and addressed what affirmative defenses are available to an FDCPA/Rosenthal Act claim. Next, the parties dispute the scope of defenses available to Defendants under the FDCPA. Plaintiff argues that all of Defendants' affirmative defenses, except for… Read More