MIAMI—A Florida woman is suing JP Morgan Chase Bank alleging the company attempted to over-collect on her mortgage with misleading fees.
Queenie Johnson filed a federal claim on Jan. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against JP Morgan Chase Bank, citing violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA).
According to the complaint, the defendant sought to collect from the plaintiff a debt arising from transactions allegedly entered into primarily for personal, family or household purposes. Johnson claims she received a Payoff Statement from the defendant reporting that $147,754 was due upon her mortgage by Oct. 24, 2015. The Payoff Statement included “Estimated Attorney Fees” and “Estimated Attorney Costs,” amounting to $1,370 for attorney fees and $1,927 for costs that the plaintiff claims to not have incurred.
The plaintiff alleges that the defendant made a false representation as to the character, amount or legal status of the debt in violation of the FDCPA, claiming the charges were misleading and illegitimate. Furthermore, the plaintiff avers a violation of the FCCPA for claiming, attempting and threatening to enforce the reportedly unjust debt.
Johnson demands a trial by jury, and seeks actual damages, statutory damages, costs and attorney’s fees. She is represented by Seth Wieder of Loan Lawyers LLC in Fort Lauderdale.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida Case number 0:16-cv-60058-JIC