Connecticut debt collection laws: 1 year to file

the short answer

Connecticut writes the rule against the creditor, not only against the agency. A creditor who uses an abusive, harassing, fraudulent, deceptive or misleading representation, device or practice to collect a debt is liable to the person it did it to. That is a state claim against the company you originally owed, which is the half of the field the federal Act mostly leaves alone.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

governing statute15 U.S.C. § 1692d source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

plain englishA debt collector may not harass, oppress or abuse you to collect a debt — no threats, no obscenity, no publishing your name as someone who will not pay, and no repeated calls meant to annoy. It may not lie about the amount, about who it is, or about what will happen to you. It may not call before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night your time, or at work once you have said your employer forbids it, and once you tell it in writing to stop contacting you it must stop.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

deadline5 dayssource ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

penaltyYour actual damages, plus additional damages the court may allow up to $1,000, plus the costs of the action and a reasonable attorney's fee (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). The fee shifts on any successful action, which is what makes a small case worth a lawyer's time.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

limit1 yearsource ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

free routeThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau takes a complaint about a debt collector online, in any state, for nothing. It forwards the complaint to the company and expects a response, and it publishes the complaint and the response in a public database. That is a national route that runs alongside — not instead of — the state office named below.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

alsoThe Act reaches debt collectors — third-party agencies, and buyers of debt that was already in default. A creditor collecting its own debt in its own name is usually outside it, and that is the gap the state law below is often there to close. Two more things worth knowing: within five days of first contacting you the collector must put the amount, the creditor's name and your right to dispute in writing, and if you dispute in writing within thirty days it must stop collecting until it sends you verification. Under Regulation F a collector is presumed to be harassing you if it calls more than seven times in seven days about the same debt, or at all within seven days of speaking to you (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)(i)).source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Which debt collection law applies in Connecticut?

governing statute

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-648

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

What can you recover from a debt collector in Connecticut?

penalty

Actual damages, and for an individual such additional damages as the court may award up to $1,000 (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-648(a)).

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Where do you report a debt collector in Connecticut?

free route

The Department of Banking licenses the consumer collection agencies that collect from Connecticut residents, and takes the complaint. Its own order of operations: try the agency first, then check whether it is licensed — the Department also accepts complaints against unlicensed companies collecting on Connecticut residents, which is a separate and more serious thing to be able to report.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Which court hears a case like this in Connecticut?

which court

Small claims session of the Superior Court

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

How much can you sue for in Connecticut small claims court?

small claims limit

$5,000

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

exceptions: $15,000 for work by a certified home improvement or new home construction contractor. Libel and slander cannot be heard here at all. A tenant suing to get a security deposit back may be awarded more than the limit, costs included.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

your situation

That is the rule. Whether it is your answer is a different question.

Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in Connecticut. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.

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Can I sue for a debt collector harassing me in Connecticut?

Which debt collection law applies in Connecticut?

What can you recover from a debt collector in Connecticut?

Where do you report a debt collector in Connecticut?

Which court hears a case like this in Connecticut?

How much can you sue for in Connecticut small claims court?

That is the rule. Whether it is your answer is a different question.