Hernandez v. Williams, Zinman & Parham, P.C.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act provides that “a debt collector” must send a consumer a notice containing important information about the consumer’s debt and rights either in “the initial communication” or “[w]ithin five days after the initial communication with a consumer in connection with the collection of any debt.” 15 U.S.C. § 1692g(a). Consumers have thirty days after receiving such a notice to dispute the debt and to request information about the original creditor. Id. § 1692g(b). The Bureau, joined by the Federal Trade Commission, filed this amicus brief arguing that each debt collector that contacts a consumer—not just the first debt collector that attempts to collect a particular debt—must send a notice that complies with this provision.