Unifund CCR Partners v. Harrell

Carol Harrell entered into a credit card agreement with Citibank but later defaulted on her promise to repay the debt. The right to collect Harrell’s outstanding debt was later assigned to Unifund CCR Partners. Unifund filed a collection action against Harrell seeking, in addition to the outstanding balance of Harrell’s account, statutory pre-judgment interest pursuant to Ky. Rev. Stat. 360.010(1). Harrell filed a counterclaim alleging that Unifund’s request for statutory prejudgment interest was in violation of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The circuit court dismissed Harrell’s counterclaim for failure to state a claim. The court of appeals reversed, concluding that the circuit court erred in concluding that Unifund’s claim for statutory interest did not violate the FDCPA and in granting Unifund’s motion to dismiss. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Harrell plausibly alleged that Unifund violated the FDCPA. Remanded.