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September 19, 2017 News

Berger Montague and Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. File Class Action Lawsuits Against Experian and TransUnion Over Inaccurate Tax Lien Reporting

September 19, 2017. PHILADELPHIA – Berger Montague and Kehoe Law Firm, P.C. have filed class action lawsuits in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts courts on behalf of individuals who have received consumer reports from Experian and TransUnion with inaccurate tax lien information. This is the fourth lawsuit Berger Montague has filed against credit reporting agencies on this issue.

The complaints allege that Experian and TransUnion, two of the “big three” U.S. consumer reporting agencies, willfully violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”) by reporting tax liens that were already paid and failing to follow reasonable procedures to ensure that the tax lien information they reported was as accurate as possible.

Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax are all being sued around the country for releasing inaccurate consumer reports-Berger Montague and Kehoe Law Firm’s four lawsuits bring the total number of class actions against the “big three” to at least 26.

According to the Complaints, Experian and TransUnion are well aware that they have problems with failing to accurately report public record information. The lawsuits allege that both consumer reporting agencies receive the public information that they include on their reports from a third party. Despite knowing that the tax lien information they obtain from this third party is often inaccurate or out of date, neither agency takes any action to check the records at the source before reporting the information.

The lawsuits further allege that neither Experian nor TransUnion has a systemic, reasonable procedure to assure that, when tax liens are paid, satisfied, or released, the updated status is promptly obtained and reflected on a consumer’s credit report.

“The Big Three’s problem with public records reporting is no longer a dirty little industry secret. The wave of litigation on these issues has helped cast light on a pernicious problem in an industry that is more concerned about its bottom line than it is about the accuracy and privacy of the information it reports,” said E. Michelle Drake, a managing shareholder at Berger Montague and the co-chair of the firm’s consumer protection practice.

Plaintiffs and the proposed class members are seeking an award of statutory, actual, and punitive damages from the inaccurate tax lien reporting. They also seek to ensure that Experian and TransUnion cease reporting inaccurate public record information and update the public record information they obtain and report about consumers.

Affected consumers can find additional information about the lawsuits at www.bergermontstg.wpengine.com/tax-liens.

Berger Montague is a national plaintiffs’ law firm based in Philadelphia with additional offices in Minneapolis, San Diego, and Washington, D.C. The firm litigates consumer protection cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States and employs more than 60 attorneys. The firm has played lead roles in major cases for over 50 years, resulting in recoveries of more than $36 billion for its clients.

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