New Jersey Complaint Against Equifax for Reporting an Inaccurate Tax Lien on Consumer’s Credit Report

Credit Report Issues No Comments

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY

 

Jane Doe

                                                                                              

                                    Plaintiff,                                           Civil Action No. 

            v.                                                                                                                   

 

EQUIFAX INFORMATION                                            

SERVICES, LLC                                                               

 

                                    Defendant.

 

 

COMPLAINT

 

Preliminary Statement

  1. This is an action for damages brought by an individual consumer against the Defendant for violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (hereafter the “FCRA”), 15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq., as amended.

Jurisdiction and Venue

  1. Jurisdiction of this Court arises under 15 U.S.C. § 1681p, 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1337.
  2. Venue lies properly in this district pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §1391(b).

 

 

Parties

  1. Plaintiff Jane Doe is an adult individual and citizen of the State of New York.
  2. Defendant Equifax Information Services, LLC is a business entity that regularly conducts business in the State of New Jersey and which has a principal place of business located at 6 Clementon Road, East, Suite A2, Gibbsboro, New Jersey 08026.

Factual Allegations

  1. Defendant has been reporting derogatory and inaccurate statements and information relating to Plaintiff and Plaintiff’s credit history to third parties (hereafter the “inaccurate information”).
  2. The inaccurate information includes, but is not limited to a state tax lien.
  3. The inaccurate information negatively reflects upon the Plaintiff, Plaintiff’s credit repayment history, Plaintiff’s financial responsibility as a debtor and Plaintiff’s credit worthiness.  More specifically, the inaccurate information is a tax lien reporting released as of January 2011.  This tax lien was filed in error and was vacated by the Court.  Thus, this lien should not be reporting at all, let alone as one that was only recently released.
  4. Defendant has been reporting the inaccurate information through the issuance of false and inaccurate credit information and consumer credit reports that it has disseminated to various persons and credit grantors, both known and unknown.
  5. Plaintiff has disputed the inaccurate information with Defendant by both oral and written communications to its representatives and by following Defendant’s established procedures for disputing consumer credit information.
  6. Plaintiff has disputed the inaccurate information with Defendant from July 2010 through the present.
  7. Notwithstanding Plaintiff’s efforts, Defendant has sent Plaintiff correspondence indicating its intent to continue publishing the inaccurate information and Defendant continues to publish and disseminate such inaccurate information to other third parties, persons, entities and credit grantors.  Defendant has repeatedly published and disseminated consumer reports to such third parties from at least July 2010 through the present.
  8. Despite Plaintiff’s efforts, Defendant has never:  (1) contacted Plaintiff to follow up on, verify and/or elicit more specific information about Plaintiff’s disputes; (2) contacted any third parties that would have relevant information concerning Plaintiff’s disputes; (3) forwarded any relevant information concerning Plaintiff’s disputes to the entities originally furnishing the inaccurate information; (4) requested or obtained any other relevant documents from the entities furnishing the inaccurate information; and (5) performed any handwriting analysis.
  9. As of result of Defendant’s conduct, Plaintiff has suffered actual damages in the form of (a) lost credit opportunities, (b) harm to credit reputation and credit score, and (c) emotional distress.
  10. As a result of the acts and/or omissions of Defendant, Plaintiff has sustained actual damages, including, but not limited to, injury to Plaintiff’s reputation, invasion of privacy, damage to Plaintiff’s credit, out-of-pocket expenses, physical, emotional and mental pain and anguish and pecuniary loss and she will continue to suffer same for an indefinite time in the future, all to her great detriment and loss.
  11. At all times pertinent hereto, Defendant was acting by and through its agents, servants and/or employees who were acting within the course and scope of their agency or employment, and under the direct supervision and control of the Defendant herein.
  12. At all times pertinent hereto, the conduct of the Defendant, as well as that of its agents, servants and/or employees, was malicious, intentional, willful, reckless, and in grossly negligent disregard for federal laws and the rights of the Plaintiff herein.

Count One – FCRA

  1. Plaintiff incorporates the foregoing paragraphs as though the same were set forth at length herein.
  2. At all times pertinent hereto, Defendant was a “person” and “consumer reporting agency” as those terms are defined by 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(b) and (f).
  3. At all times pertinent hereto, Plaintiff was a “consumer” as that term is defined by 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(c).
  4. At all times pertinent hereto, the above-mentioned credit reports were “consumer reports” as that term is defined by 15 U.S.C. § 1681a(d).
  5. Pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §1681n and 15 U.S.C. §1681o, Defendant is liable to the Plaintiff for willfully and negligently failing to comply with the requirements imposed on a consumer reporting agency of information pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681e and 1681i.
  6. The conduct of Defendant was a direct and proximate cause, as well as a substantial factor, in bringing about the serious injuries, actual damages and harm to Plaintiff that are outlined more fully above and, as a result Defendant is liable to Plaintiff for the full amount of statutory, actual and punitive damages, along with the attorney’s fees and the costs of litigation, as well as such further relief, as may be permitted by law.

Jury Trial Demand

  1. Plaintiff demands trial by jury on all issues so triable.

Prayer for Relief

            WHEREFORE, Plaintiff seeks judgment in Plaintiff’s favor and damages against the Defendant, based on the following requested relief:

(a)                Actual damages;

(b)               Statutory damages;

(c)                Punitive damages;

(d)               Costs and reasonable attorney’s fees pursuant to 15 U.S.C. §§1681n and 1681o;

(e)                An order directing that Defendant immediately delete all of the inaccurate information from Plaintiff’s credit report and file and cease reporting the inaccurate information to any and all persons and entities to whom it reports consumer credit information;

(f)                An order directing that Defendant send to all persons and entities to  whom they have reported Plaintiff’s inaccurate information within the last three years Plaintiff’s updated and corrected credit report information; and

 

 

(g)               Such other and further relief as may be necessary, just and proper.

Respectfully submitted,

 

FRANCIS & MAILMAN, P.C.

BY:     _/s/ Mark D. Mailman___________________

MARK D. MAILMAN, ESQUIRE

JOHN SOUMILAS, ESQUIRE

ERIN A. NOVAK, ESQUIRE

Land Title Building, 19th Floor

100 South Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19110

(215) 735-8600

Attorneys for Plaintiff