Does federal law require debt collectors to give consumers the right to make oral disputes (as the Second and Ninth Circuits have held), or may debt collectors insist that any disputes be made in writing (as the Third Circuit has held)? Today, the Fourth Circuit issued a short published opinion agreeing with the Second and Ninth Circuits. I argued this case back in October and am pleased to see that the court adopted the straightforward plain-meaning analysis urged in our opening and reply briefs.
I thought it was Congress that gave consumers the right to dispute debts orally.