LARGO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A class action settlement has been reached with Bluegreen Corporation, Experian Information Solutions, Inc., and Equifax Information Services, LLC. over allegations that timeshare owners’ delinquent accounts were reported as foreclosures in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Florida debt collection laws.
The suit, Best and Snapp, et al. v. Bluegreen Corp., et al., case no. 9:14-cv-80929, was filed July 14, 2014, in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida.
The plaintiffs alleged that when they were delinquent, Bluegreen sent a series of letters advising them that they were terminated from the Bluegreen Vacation Club and the status of their accounts may be reported as foreclosures to the credit agencies.
While not admitting liability, Bluegreen, Experian, and Equifax agreed to settle the lawsuit. The settlement, which was approved by the court Nov. 6, 2015, provides in part:
- For class members who did not opt out of the settlement and no longer have an active account, Bluegreen will request that Equifax and Experian delete the entire account that displayed a foreclosure;
- For class members who did not opt out of the settlement but still have an active account, Bluegreen will provide information to Equifax and Experian showing that the accounts were paid for the months preceding their delinquency; and
- Equifax and Experian have agreed to implement Bluegreen's requests.
The Finn Law Group was the principal law firm that represented the class. Managing Partner Michael D. Finn said, "I'm absolutely delighted with this resolution, which deletes the harmful 'foreclosure' categorization from over 11,000 individuals’ credit reports!"
To find out more about the class action settlement, please visit www.bgcreditsettlement.com.
The Finn Law Group, which has its office in Florida, advocates for consumers in timeshare matters and related debtor-creditor issues. For more information, contact Michael D. Finn by calling 855-346-6529 or michaeldfinn@finnlawgroup.com.