Source: https://www.fair-debt-collection.com/california-fair-debt-collection-practices-act.html
Timestamp: 2017-05-27 04:24:20
Document Index: 181089004

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1', '§ 7', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788', '§ 1788']

California Fair Debt Collection Practices Act-Rosenthal
Home » California Fair Debt Collection Practices Act- Rosenthal	California Fair Debt Collection Practices Act- Rosenthal
§ 1788. Short title
This title may be cited as the California Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
§ 1788.1. Legislative findings
(b) It is the purpose of this title to prohibit debt collectors from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the collection of consumer debts and to require debtors to act fairly in entering into and honoring such debts, as specified in this title.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.2. Definitions
(c) The term “debt collector” means any person who, in the ordinary course of business, regularly, on behalf of himself or herself or others, engages in debt collection. The term includes any person who composes and sells, or offers to compose and sell, forms, letters, and other collection media used or intended to be used for debt collection, but does not include an attorney or counselor at law.
(d) The term “debt” means money, property or their equivalent which is due or owing or alleged to be due or owing from a natural person to another person.
(e) The term “consumer credit transaction” means a transaction between a natural person and another person in which property, services or money is acquired on credit by that natural person from such other person primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
(f) The terms “consumer debt” and “consumer credit” mean money, property or their equivalent, due or owing or alleged to be due or owing from a natural person by reason of a consumer credit transaction.
(g) The term “person” means a natural person, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, trust, estate, cooperative, association or other similar entity.
(j) The term “consumer credit report” means any written, oral or other communication of any information by a consumer reporting agency bearing on a consumer’s creditworthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics or mode of living which is used or expected to be used or collected in whole or in part for the purpose of serving as a factor in establishing the consumer’s eligibility for (1) credit or insurance to be used primarily for person, [FN1] family, or household purposes, or (2) employment purposes, or (3) other purposes authorized under any applicable federal or state law or regulation. The term does not include (a) any report containing information solely as to transactions or experiences between the consumer and the person making the report; (b) any authorization or approval of a specific extension of credit directly or indirectly by the issuer of a credit card or similar device; or (c) any report in which a person who has been requested by a third party to make a specific extension of credit directly or indirectly to a consumer conveys his or her decision with respect to that request, if the third party advises the consumer of the name and address of the person to whom the request was made and such person makes the disclosures to the consumer required under any applicable federal or state law or regulation.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.3. Credit union; information to employer who is an employee, officer, etc. of credit union
Nothing contained in this title shall be construed to prohibit a credit union chartered under Division 5 (commencing with Section 14000) of the Financial Code or under the Federal Credit Union Act (Chapter 14 (commencing with Section 1751) of Title 12 of the United States Code) from providing information to an employer when the employer is ordinarily and necessarily entitled to receive such information because he is an employee, officer, committee member, or agent of such credit union.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.10. Threats; unlawful conduct
No debt collector shall collect or attempt to collect a consumer debt by means of the following conduct:
(a) The use, or threat of use, of physical force or violence or any criminal means to cause harm to the person, or the reputation, or the property of any person;
(b) The threat that the failure to pay a consumer debt will result in an accusation that the debtor has committed a crime where such accusation, if made, would be false;
(c) The communication of, or threat to communicate to any person the fact that a debtor has engaged in conduct, other than the failure to pay a consumer debt, which the debt collector knows or has reason to believe will defame the debtor;
(d) The threat to the debtor to sell or assign to another person the obligation of the debtor to pay a consumer debt, with an accompanying false representation that the result of such sale or assignment would be that the debtor would lose any defense to the consumer debt;
(e) The threat to any person that nonpayment of the consumer debt may result in the arrest of the debtor or the seizure, garnishment, attachment or sale of any property or the garnishment or attachment of wages of the debtor, unless such action is in fact contemplated by the debt collector and permitted by the law; or
(f) The threat to take any action against the debtor which is prohibited by this title.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.11. Obscene or profane language; use of telephones; unlawful practices
(b) Placing telephone calls without disclosure of the caller’s identity, provided that an employee of a licensed collection agency may identify himself by using his registered alias name as long as he correctly identifies the agency he represents;
(c) Causing expense to any person for long distance telephone calls, telegram fees or charges for other similar communications, by misrepresenting to such person the purpose of such telephone call, telegram or similar communication;
(d) Causing a telephone to ring repeatedly or continuously to annoy the person called; or
(e) Communicating, by telephone or in person, with the debtor with such frequency as to be unreasonable and to constitute an harassment to the debtor under the circumstances.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.12. Communications with third parties; unlawful practices
(a) Communicating with the debtor’s employer regarding the debtor’s consumer debt unless such a communication is necessary to the collection of the debt, or unless the debtor or his attorney has consented in writing to such communication. A communication is necessary to the collection of the debt only if it is made for the purposes of verifying the debtor’s employment, locating the debtor, or effecting garnishment, after judgment, of the debtor’s wages, or in the case of a medical debt for the purpose of discovering the existence of medical insurance. Any such communication, other than a communication in the case of a medical debt by a health care provider or its agent for the purpose of discovering the existence of medical insurance, shall be in writing unless such written communication receives no response within 15 days and shall be made only as many times as is necessary to the collection of the debt. Communications to a debtor’s employer regarding a debt shall not contain language that would be improper if the communication were made to the debtor. One communication solely for the purpose of verifying the debtor’s employment may be oral without prior written contact.
(b) Communicating information regarding a consumer debt to any member of the debtor’s family, other than the debtor’s spouse or the parents or guardians of the debtor who is either a minor or who resides in the same household with such parent or guardian, prior to obtaining a judgment against the debtor, except where the purpose of the communication is to locate the debtor, or where the debtor or his attorney has consented in writing to such communication;
(c) Communicating to any person any list of debtors which discloses the nature or existence of a consumer debt, commonly known as “deadbeat lists”, or advertising any consumer debt for sale, by naming the debtor; or
(d) Communicating with the debtor by means of a written communication that displays or conveys any information about the consumer debt or the debtor other than the name, address and telephone number of the debtor and the debt collector and which is intended both to be seen by any other person and also to embarrass the debtor.
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, the disclosure, publication or communication by a debt collector of information relating to a consumer debt or the debtor to a consumer reporting agency or to any other person reasonably believed to have a legitimate business need for such information shall not be deemed to violate this title.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.13. Misrepresentations in communications; unlawful practices
(l) Any communication by a licensed collection agency to a debtor demanding money unless the claim is actually assigned to the collection agency.
(Added by Stats.1977, c. 907, p. 2771, § 1. Amended by Stats.1980, c. 1126, p. 3626, § 7.)
The 1980 amendment deleted former subd. (e); and relettered former subds. (f) to (m) as subds. (e) to (l). Former subd. (e) read:
“The use of any written communication which simulates or is falsely represented to be a document authorized, issued or approved by a court or agency of any federal, state or local government;”.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.14. Affirmation from bankrupt; collection of collector’s fee and expenses from debtor; communication with debtor instead of debtor’s attorney; unlawful practices
(a) Obtaining an affirmation from a debtor who has been adjudicated a bankrupt, of a consumer debt which has been discharged in such bankruptcy, without clearly and conspicuously disclosing to the debtor, in writing, at the time such affirmation is sought, the fact that the debtor is not legally obligated to make such affirmation;
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.15. Judicial proceedings where service of process defective; venue
(a) No debt collector shall collect or attempt to collect a consumer debt by means of judicial proceedings when the debt collector knows that service of process, where essential to jurisdiction over the debtor or his property, has not been legally effected.
(b) No debt collector shall collect or attempt to collect a consumer debt, other than one reduced to judgment, by means of judicial proceedings in a county other than the county in which the debtor has incurred the consumer debt or the county in which the debtor resides at the time such proceedings are instituted, or resided at the time the debt was incurred.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.16. Communications simulating legal or judicial process or governmental authorization; unlawful practice in consumer debt collection; misdemeanor; punishment
It is unlawful, with respect to attempted collection of a consumer debt, for a debt collector, creditor, or an attorney, to send a communication which simulates legal or judicial process or which gives the appearance of being authorized, issued, or approved by a governmental agency or attorney when it is not. Any violation of the provisions of this section is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six months, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) or by both.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.17. Compliance with federal provisions
Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, every debt collector collecting or attempting to collect a consumer debt shall comply with the provisions of Sections 1692b to 1692j, inclusive, of, and shall be subject to the remedies in Section 1692k of, Title 15 of the United States Code. However, subsection (11) of Section 1692e and Section 1692g shall not apply to any person specified in paragraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (6) of Section 1692a of Title 15 of the United States Code or that person’s principal. The references to federal codes in this section refer to those codes as they read January 1, 2001.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.18. Debtor as an alleged victim of identity theft; sworn statement; inferences and presumptions; duties after collection terminated
“I certify the representations made are true, correct, and contain no material omissions of fact.
_______________________________________ _________________________________________”
(d) Upon receipt of the complete statement and information described in subdivision (a), the debt collector shall review and consider all of the information provided by the debtor and other information available to the debt collector in its file or from the creditor. The debt collector may recommence debt collection activities only upon making a good faith determination that the information does not establish that the debtor is not responsible for the specific debt in question. The debt collector’s determination shall be made in a manner consistent with the provisions of subsection (1) of Section 1692 of Title 15 of the United States Code, as incorporated by Section 1788.17 of this code. The debt collector shall notify the debtor in writing of that determination and the basis for that determination before proceeding with any further collection activities. The debt collector’s determination shall be based on all of the information provided by the debtor and other information available to the debt collector in its file or from the creditor.
(2) Notify the creditor that debt collection activities have been terminated based upon the debtor’s claim of identity theft.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.20. Request or application for credit; inability or lack of intention to pay obligation; falsity of or concealment of information
In connection with any request or application for consumer credit, no person shall:
(a) Request or apply for such credit at a time when such person knows there is no reasonable probability of such person’s being able, or such person then lacks the intention, to pay the obligation created thereby in accordance with the terms and conditions of the credit extension; or
(b) Knowingly submit false or inaccurate information or willfully conceal adverse information bearing upon such person’s credit worthiness, credit standing, or credit capacity.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.21. Notice of change in name, address or employment; disclosure by creditor of debtor’s responsibility
(a) In connection with any consumer credit existing or requested to be extended to a person, such person shall within a reasonable time notify the creditor or prospective creditor of any change in such person’s name, address, or employment.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.22. Credit extended under an account; duties of debtor disclosure by creditor of debtor’s responsibility
(a) In connection with any consumer credit extended to a person under an account:
(2) Each such person shall notify the creditor by telephone, telegraph, letter, or any other reasonable means that an unauthorized use of the account has occurred or may occur as the result of loss or theft of a credit card, or other instrument identifying the account, within a reasonable time after such person’s discovery thereof, and shall reasonably assist the creditor in determining the facts and circumstances relating to any unauthorized use of the account.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.30. Liability of debt collector; individual action; actual and punitive damages; costs; cure of violation; venue; defenses
(a) Any debt collector who violates this title with respect to any debtor shall be liable to that debtor only in an individual action, and his liability therein to that debtor shall be in an amount equal to the sum of any actual damages sustained by the debtor as a result of the violation.
(b) Any debt collector who willfully and knowingly violates this title with respect to any debtor shall, in addition to actual damages sustained by the debtor as a result of the violation, also be liable to the debtor only in an individual action, and his additional liability therein to that debtor shall be for a penalty in such amount as the court may allow, which shall not be less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor greater than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(c) In the case of any action to enforce any liability under this title, the prevailing party shall be entitled to costs of the action. Reasonable attorney’s fees, which shall be based on time necessarily expended to enforce the liability, shall be awarded to a prevailing debtor; reasonable attorney’s fees may be awarded to a prevailing creditor upon a finding by the court that the debtor’s prosecution or defense of the action was not in good faith.
(d) A debt collector shall have no civil liability under this title if, within 15 days either after discovering a violation which is able to be cured, or after the receipt of a written notice of such violation, the debt collector notifies the debtor of the violation, and makes whatever adjustments or corrections are necessary to cure the violation with respect to the debtor.
(e) A debt collector shall have no civil liability to which such debt collector might otherwise be subject for a violation of this title, if the debt collector shows by a preponderance of evidence that the violation was not intentional and resulted notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonably adapted to avoid any such violation.
(f) Any action under this section may be brought in any appropriate court of competent jurisdiction in an individual capacity only, within one year from the date of the occurrence of the violation.
(g) Any intentional violation of the provisions of this title by the debtor may be raised as a defense by the debt collector, if such violation is pertinent or relevant to any claim or action brought against the debt collector by or on behalf of the debtor.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.31. Severability
If any provision of this title, or the application thereof to any person or circumstances, is held invalid, the remaining provisions of this title, or the application of such provisions to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.32. Cumulative remedies; effect on existing regulations
The remedies provided herein are intended to be cumulative and are in addition to any other procedures, rights, or remedies under any other provision of law. The enactment of this title shall not supersede existing administrative regulations of the Director of Consumer Affairs except to the extent that those regulations are inconsistent with the provisions of this title.
Rosenthal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 1788.33. Public policy; waiver of rights
5 comments	Mercedes April 28, 2015 at 12:17 pm
So, just to be clear- they are not allowed to call every single family member and friends saying there are going to be “papers” delivered on a certain time or date?
FDC Administrator April 28, 2015 at 12:22 pm
Correct. Give us a call we will have an attorney provide a free consumer rights evaluation. You may be entitled to some recovery money. 888-595-9111
Veronica October 6, 2015 at 11:35 am
Can you be sued without ever being notified of the debt? For example, you signed a proxy authorization and six months later you are aued because person did not pay? Can that be done without first being contacted to pay the debt?
Reanna May 19, 2016 at 3:23 pm
Is a debt collector required to identify the caller by verifying the full name, last four of their social security number and property address (if this is regarding mortgage debt) on every call even though the caller id shows who is calling?
Felix Jerry Droz October 21, 2016 at 2:00 pm
I had a debt that is over 5 years old and now a collection agency is threatening me w/ court action . Is there a time limit or a statue of limitations that a debt is no longer collectable after a certain number of years has gone by ?
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