Maria Pintos parked her SUV, with expired registration, on the street. Police had the vehicle towed, and it was eventually sold when Pintos failed to claim the vehicle or pay impound costs. The towing company filed a deficiency claim against Pintos and then transferred the claim to Pacific Creditors Association (“PCA”), a collection agency. PCA obtained a copy of Pintos’s credit report through Experian.
Pintos filed suit, alleging that PCA violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act. PCA argued that it had pulled the credit report in order to collect on an account. The trial court agreed and granted summary judgment to PCA. Pintos appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, who reversed the trial court’s decision. The court noted that mere ownership of a vehicle did not mean that Pintos had initiated a credit transaction. Accordingly, no federal law granted PCA authority to obtain Pintos’s credit report.
For the full story, click here.
