Hammond v. Bank of America: Can a Creditor Keep Reporting You as Liable Without Proof You Ever Agreed to the Debt?

A recent decision from the Western District of North Carolina provides an important reminder that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires more than simply checking a name and Social Security number when a consumer disputes responsibility for a debt.

Available at:  

https://www.journaloffreespeechlaw.org/hampson.pdf
http://blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/oblb/blog-post/2025/09/defamation-bankruptcy-pipeline-united-states-and-around-world

Available at: Post-Petition Wages and Attorneys' Fees in a Post-Harris World: Protecting Debtors' Counsel from Going Unpaid   (ABI membership required)

Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/nulr/vol120/iss5/6

Summary:

Generative artificial intelligence has now reached the Eastern District of North Carolina in a published sanctions decision, and the resulting opinion should be required reading for every practicing attorney.

Available at:  When Chapter 11 Meets Consumer Protection: Navigating the Limits of § 363(o)  (ABI Membership Required)

When Chapter 11 Meets Consumer Protection: Is § 363(o) Becoming an Empty Promise?

Two opinions issued the same day by Judge Matthew E. Orso of the Western District of North Carolina represent an important development under the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA"). In the first, Judge Orso certified a nationwide class action.

June 18, 2026

Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6954401

Abstract:

Summary:

In another reminder that arbitration clauses remain powerful—but not limitless—Chief Judge Martin Reidinger of the Western District of North Carolina largely rejected GoodLeap's attempt to force a consumer into arbitration where the very existence of the contract was hotly disputed.