Woman Sues Equifax And Wins Case, Gets $18.6 Million
Julie Miller is now $18.6 million richer after she sued and won against credit reporting agency Equifax for mistakes in her credit report.
Via ABC:
Miller’s troubles began in 2009, according to her complaint, when she was denied credit from Huybbard Bank based on her Equifax credit report. She requested and eventually received a copy of her report, which, she discovered, contained false identifying information, an incorrect Social Security number, a false birthday and false, derogatory collection accounts attributed to her.
She began disputing these inaccuracies starting in 2010. She repeatedly contacted the company and was repeatedly told Equifax needed further information before it could process her dispute.
Later in 2010 Miller was denied credit by Key Bank, based on her Equifax report.
After filing further protests with Equifax about the inaccuracies in her report, Equifax representatives told Miller her data had become “mixed” with another person’s. They told her she would need to dispute the false information directly to her creditors.
According to the report, Miller tried eight times to get her report corrected, but Equifax did not do anything to fix it.
Now a jury has awarded her $18.6 million for her trouble.
Good for her. Its about time somebody sued one of the 3 bureaus and won. Time for about a million others to do the same and bury those 3 completely irresponsible bureaus. They have absolutey no accountability. Why you ask? Because they make billions and deposit tons of that money into the pockets of the crooks that inhabit our Congress who then turn a blind eye from their inept behavior.
I know a little about credit reporting agencies after finding out years ago there were 3 credit agencies. The first two companies gave my wife and I acceptable credit for a used car lone. However, when I went to the credit union to get a loan they said we had been rejected due to our credit report. I went back to the company where I had gone and got a credit report. I lost my temper and accused them of lying. They let me rerun the credit report, and I found out there was nothing against us in their credit report. After talking to the credit union manager, we found out there was a 3rd credit reporting agency. This was back in the late 80’s, and we, eventually, got a copy of the 3rd companies report. It had something on it that the other two credit bureaus did not have on their report, I wrote to the creditor listed as my wife did not remember making the bill. I never did hear back from the company that was supposedly the creditor. At that time, we lived 5,000 miles a way from where my wife had lived when this bill was supposedly made. We, eventually, got a car loan through a high interest, high credit risk loan company that the car dealer found. In our particular case we were not sure if my wife had made the loan (the loan was supposedly made while her first husband was very sick and, eventually, died, but as I am typing and thinking about it why hadn’t the supposed creditor tried to collect from us; my wife had had to file bankruptcy after her first husband died as the life insurance found a way not to pay, I suspect the company he worked for was self insured. I could have seen the bankruptcy showing up and keeping us from getting a loan, but that is not what happened. It turns out Equifax did this women a favor after all, even though I am sure all the time and money she had to spend was a major headache. This woman is, now, a millionaire; I doubt she was a millionaire before she sued. This article does not say if Equifax is appealing.
I am going thru the same kind of situation need any advice I can get. I had a bankruptcy in Dec. 2009 My house was not included in the bankruptcy but my credit reports show that I lost my house in the bankruptcy. No payments are showing on any of my credit reports for the last 4 years even though I have made them and still live in the house. I have talked to the credit bureaus mortgage company disputed the reports still no change. This is wrong I’m tired of it stopped making house payments 2 months ago to force the mortgage company to take action against me I’m betting my house that there wrong either I’m going down or they are.