MIAMI – A Palm Beach County woman is suing a Tampa law firm over allegations of deceptive debt collection practices.
Laura Edstrom-Smith filed a class-action lawsuit on March 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Kass Shuler PA, a law firm, citing violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that she received a formal complaint from the defendant on Oct. 29, 2015, in an attempt to collect a debt owed to Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union. The suit states that the letter contained a noticed under the FDCPA that is required by law, but only when initial communication is made. The plaintiff alleges that the complaint that was sent to her should not be treated as an initial communication and that no notice is required. She alleges that including the notice is false, misleading, deceptive and superfluous and was only included to confuse and deceive.
The plaintiff seeks the following: compensation for statutory damages, attorney’s fees and costs and any further relief that the court may deem proper. She is represented by Scott D. Owens of Scott D. Owens PA in Hollywood.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Case number 9:16-cv-80341