A recent Law 360 story by Carolina Bolado, “Consumer Can Get Fees for Winning Debt Collection Suit,” reports that a Florida appeals court ruled that a consumer who fends off an "account stated" lawsuit seeking to collect on an unpaid credit card balance can collect attorneys' fees under Florida law.  Florida's Second District Court of Appeal reversed a trial court's order denying Katrina Bushnell's request for attorneys' fees after debt buying company Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC voluntarily dismissed its suit over an unpaid credit card bill.

Bushnell had asked for attorneys' fees under the credit card agreement, which contains a provision authorizing the creditor to recover its attorneys' fees as part of its collection costs.  Under Florida Statute 57.105(7), if a contract has a provision allowing attorneys' fees to a party that has to take action to enforce the contract, the court can also allow attorneys' fees to the other party if it prevails in the dispute.

The trial court ruled against Bushnell but asked the appellate court to address the issue and answer the question of whether an "account stated" action that seeks to collect an unpaid debt is considered an action to enforce a contract.  The Second District said that it is such an action and ruled that the account stated lawsuit could not have happened if the credit card contract did not exist.  "Simply put, if there had been no credit card contract, the amount due would not have accrued in the first place," the appeals court said.  "The credit card contract and the account stated cause of action are therefore inextricably intertwined such that the account stated cause of action is an action 'with respect to the contract' under section 57.105(7)."

The appeals court relied on the Florida Supreme Court's 2002 decision in Caufield v. Cantele, in which the court concluded that the prevailing party in a lawsuit for fraudulent misrepresentation was entitled to fees under the state's reciprocity provision.  The Supreme Court reasoned that the existence of the contract and the misrepresentation claims in the case were "inextricably" linked.  The Second District applied this reasoning to the case against Bushnell and concluded that the reciprocity provision in 57.105(7) applies.  The appeals court reversed the order denying Bushnell's fees and remanded it to the trial court to determine a reasonable fee award for her counsel.

Bushnell’s attorney Jennifer Jones of McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi Guito & Matthew PA called the decision “a big win for the little guy in Florida.”  She said the litigation tactic used against Bushnell is common among debt buyers, who often buy charged-off credit cards accounts for pennies on the dollar and then sue without proper documentation.  The customers often cannot secure legal representation to defend themselves against these lawsuits, according to Jones.

The case is Bushnell v. Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC, case number 2D17-429, in the Second District Court of Appeal of Florida.