Man Who Reached Debt Collection Settlement Can’t Get Lawyer Fees

A Texas man who settled his unlawful-debt-collection lawsuit against Portfolio Recovery Associates for $1,000 failed to convince the Fifth Circuit that he was owed attorneys’ fees under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act because he achieved a successful result.

Luis Tejero sued Portfolio Recovery under the FDCPA and parallel Texas law after the debt resolution company sought to collect a credit card debt of $2,100. He said he disputed the debt via fax in January 2016 but that the company still told a consumer agency about the debt without disclosing that it had been disputed.

Prior to trial, Tejero and ...