--- name: ny-consumer-debt description: > Subject-matter bundle for New York consumer-debt defense. Triggers include 'defending a debt-collection lawsuit in New York', 'NYC Civil Court debt case', 'sued for credit card debt in NY', 'CPLR 213(a) 3-year SOL', 'Consumer Credit Fairness Act', 'CCFA 2022 New York', 'GBL § 349 deceptive practices', 'NY GBL § 600 collection agency', 'debt buyer', 'chain of title', 'sewer service', 'FDCPA in New York'. Covers **FDCPA + Regulation F**, **2022 Consumer Credit Fairness Act** (3-year SOL at CPLR 213(a), CPLR 3015(e) heightened pleading, 22 NYCRR § 202.27-a heightened default-judgment evidence, CPLR 308(six) additional mailing), **NY GBL § 600** collection-agency licensing, **GBL § 349** deceptive acts, **CPLR 4544** small-print contracts, **chain of title** under NY UCC Article 9, fact-pattern triage, and RFP/RFA banks. version: 0.1.2 --- # New York Consumer-Debt Defense > **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Consumer-debt defense is a specialty > with high stakes; this bundle is a drafting aid for pro se > defendants. Verify every statute and rule before filing. ## The New York consumer-debt landscape Three filing forums: 1. **Civil Court of the City of New York** — under $50,000; the **largest consumer-debt forum in the state** by case count. Covered by `ny-county-courts`. 2. **Supreme Court** — over $50,000 (rare for pure consumer debt; common for mixed claims or judgment-revival). The five flagship counties. 3. **Nassau / Suffolk District Court + upstate City Courts** — long-tail jurisdictions for smaller debts. ## The 2022 Consumer Credit Fairness Act (CCFA) L 2021, ch 593, effective April 7, 2022. The most significant consumer-debt reform in NY in decades. Four key provisions: ### CCFA § 1 — CPLR 213(a) — 3-year SOL on consumer credit **Before**: 6 years (CPLR 213(2) general contract SOL) **After**: **3 years** (new CPLR 213(a)) on any "action arising out of a consumer credit transaction where a purchaser, borrower or debtor is a defendant" The SOL runs from **the default date** — the first missed payment that triggered acceleration (case law: *Costa v. Deutsche Bank*, 22 NY3d 159 (2013); *Lubonty v. U.S. Bank*, 34 NY3d 250 (2019)). Once the SOL runs, **revival is limited to written acknowledgment** under N.Y. GOL § 17-101; partial payment does NOT revive (*Lew Morris Demolition Co. v. Bd. of Educ.*, 40 NY2d 516 (1976)). **Practice point**: For any complaint filed on/after April 7, 2022 on a debt that defaulted **3+ years earlier**, file a CPLR 3211(a)(5) motion to dismiss on SOL grounds. ### CCFA § 2 — CPLR 3015(e) — heightened pleading The complaint in any consumer-credit action must allege: - (a) The complete chain of title from the original creditor to the plaintiff - (b) The date and substance of any account agreement - (c) The account number (last 4 digits OK) - (d) The date of default and the amount due as of charge- off - (e) An itemization of fees/charges/interest added since charge-off - (f) A statement of the date of the last payment received if any Missing any of these is grounds for CPLR 3211(a)(7) motion to dismiss. ### CCFA § 3 — 22 NYCRR § 202.27-a — heightened default-judgment In any consumer-credit case (as defined at CPLR 105(f)): - The plaintiff must submit **specific evidence** with the default application — not just an affidavit of merit - **Required documents**: - The chain-of-title documents - The original creditor's records - The bill of sale and assignment - **Required affidavits**: - The affidavit of merit from a person with personal knowledge — not a robo-signer - The CPLR 3215(g)(3) additional-notice mailing affidavit Default judgments entered without compliance are routinely vacated under CPLR 5015(a)(4) (lack of jurisdiction over the person — defective service or process) **or** under (a)(1) (excusable default + meritorious defense — easy to show when § 202.27-a was not satisfied). ### CCFA § 4 — CPLR 308(six) — additional notice mailing In consumer-credit actions, the plaintiff must mail an additional notice to the defendant under CPLR 308(six) (the provision was renumbered; originally CPLR 308(5)). The notice must be in plain language and identify the original creditor + the assignor chain. ## Substantive defenses checklist | Defense | Authority | |---------|-----------| | **Statute of limitations** | CPLR 213(a) (3 yrs); CPLR 3211(a)(5) | | **Failure to state a cause of action** (no CCFA pleading) | CPLR 3015(e); CPLR 3211(a)(7) | | **Lack of standing / chain of title** | N.Y. UCC § 9-203; case law | | **Sewer service** | CPLR 308; CPLR 3211(a)(8); CPLR 5015(a)(4) | | **Lack of capacity to sue** | N.Y. GBL § 601-a (NYC license); CPLR 3211(a)(3) | | **Account stated — no agreement to account** | CPLR 3018(b) | | **Payment / accord and satisfaction** | CPLR 3018(b) | | **Small-print contract** | CPLR 4544 (8-pt type) | | **Usury** | Penal Law § 190.40 (criminal); GOL § 5-501 (civil 16%) | | **TILA violation** (in original transaction) | 15 USC § 1640 | | **FDCPA violation by collector** | 15 USC § 1692 — see references | | **Reg F violation by collector** | 12 CFR § 1006 — see references | ## Counterclaims checklist | Counterclaim | Authority | |---|---| | FDCPA (federal — $1,000 cap + actual + atty fees) | 15 USC § 1692k | | GBL § 349 (NY deceptive acts — $50 min; $1,000 cap on willful) | N.Y. GBL §§ 349, 350 | | GBL § 600 et seq. (collection-agency licensing) | N.Y. GBL §§ 600-606 | | Common-law abuse of process | NY common law | | Common-law malicious prosecution (post-dismissal) | NY common law | | Defamation (if reported to credit bureau falsely after dispute) | CPLR 215(3) — 1-year SOL | ## Fact-pattern triage The table below describes recurring fact patterns in New York consumer-debt practice and the procedural mechanisms the CPLR makes available for each. It is **not** a recommendation that any particular litigant pursue any particular motion — the choice of pleading, motion, or response belongs to the litigant (and any counsel the litigant retains). Use the table as a map of options, not as a prescription. | # | Pattern | Procedural mechanisms commonly considered | |---|---|---| | **1** | Stale credit-card debt (charge-off > 3 yrs before filing) | CPLR 3211(a)(5) motion to dismiss on SOL grounds | | **2** | Debt buyer plaintiff missing chain-of-title docs | CPLR 3211(a)(7) motion (non-compliance with CPLR 3015(e)) | | **3** | Default judgment entered, never served (or sewer service) | CPLR 5015(a)(4) motion to vacate | | **4** | Default judgment entered post-CCFA without § 202.27-a evidence | CPLR 5015(a)(1) motion to vacate (excusable default + meritorious defense) | | **5** | Active case, debt-collector calls violate Reg F | Verified answer; FDCPA / GBL § 349 counterclaim | ## Reference files - `references/fdcpa.md` — NY-specific framing for the FDCPA (verbatim text in `ny-law-references/references/federal-debt-laws/FDCPA.md` symlinked to the shared plugin) - `references/reg-f.md` — NY-specific framing for Reg F - `references/ccfa.md` — Consumer Credit Fairness Act 2022 text + commentary - `references/cplr-213a.md` — 3-year SOL deep dive - `references/cplr-3015e.md` — heightened pleading deep dive - `references/202-27-a.md` — heightened default-judgment rule deep dive - `references/gbl-349.md` — NY deceptive-acts statute - `references/gbl-600.md` — collection-agency licensing - `references/cplr-4544.md` — small-print contracts - `references/chain-of-title.md` — N.Y. UCC Article 9 + bill-of-sale-and-assignment foundation - `references/evidence-debt-buyer.md` — CPLR 4518 business- records foundation under *People v. Kennedy*, 68 NY2d 569 (1986) and *Bank of NY Mellon v. Gordon*, 171 AD3d 197 (2d Dept 2019) - `references/ny-sols.md` — NY SOLs by claim type - `references/key-cases.md` — controlling precedents - `references/recent-decisions.md` — post-2022 CCFA case law - `references/fees-consumer-debt.md` — fee shifting in NY consumer-debt (FDCPA mandatory + GBL § 349 discretionary) - `references/rfp-debt-buyer.md` — RFP bank targeting chain of title - `references/rfa-debt-buyer.md` — Notice to Admit bank - `references/interrogatories-debt-buyer.md` — 25-interrogatory bank targeting chain of title (CPLR 3130 / 3133(b)) - `references/meet-and-confer-debt-buyer.md` — 22 NYCRR § 202.20-f conferral templates - `references/ucc-article-9.md` — N.Y. UCC Article 9 - `references/online-sources-consumer-debt.md` — canonical URLs ## Composition with other ny- skills - `ny-statewide-format` — format baseline - `ny-first-30-days` — answer triage on a consumer-debt complaint - `ny-discovery` — RFP/RFA/Interrogatory drafting - `ny-post-judgment` — CPLR 5015 vacate + Article 52 defense - `ny-deadlines` — CPLR 213(a) 3-year SOL clock - `ny-county-courts` — NYC Civil Court is the primary forum - `ny-kings` / `ny-bronx` / `ny-queens` — high-volume Supreme Court consumer-debt counties (especially mortgage- foreclosure cases)