7th Cir. Holds Hiring Attorney, Paying Appearance Fee, Emotional Distress Not Enough for Article III Standing

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a debtor’s federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuit for lack of Article III standing. In so ruling, the Seventh Circuit held that the debtor’s hiring an attorney and paying an appearance fee, as well as alleged confusion, lost sleep, and emotional distress, were not sufficient to meet the requirements of standing.

A copy of the opinion in Choice v. Kohn Law Firm, S.C. is available at:  Link to Opinion.

An individual debtor defaulted on a debt owed to a bank. The debt was assigned to a collections company. The collections company hired a law firm to initiate debt collection proceedings.