Founding Partner
Leonard A. Bennett
Consumer Litigation Associates, P.C. · Newport News, Virginia
25 articles on this site
Leonard Bennett has been a trial attorney and consumer advocate since 1994 in Newport News, Virginia. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA), on the National Consumer Law Center's Partner's Council, a Williamsburg Society member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute.
Leonard is a lead CLE speaker on the Fair Credit Reporting Act - the lawyer other lawyers learn the FCRA from - teaching at NACA and NCLC conferences, ABA and state bar CLE seminars, Navy and Army JAG instruction, and law school courses. He has been called to testify before Congress on credit reporting, presenting NACA's Fair Credit Reporting Act testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services in 2003, 2007, and 2008, and regularly provides information to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He has been quoted by The New York Times, USA Today, Kiplinger, and The Washington Post, among others.
His practice is focused on the representation of consumers. He has litigated individual and class cases throughout the country, trying as many credit reporting cases to a jury as nearly anyone in the nation, and has been approved as Class Counsel in numerous class action cases.
Written by Leonard
Your Credit Report Says You Are Deceased. What Now?
Few credit reporting errors do as much damage as quickly as being reported dead. Applications are declined without explanation. Existing accounts close.
Credit Reporting · 7 min read
What "Willful" Really Means After Safeco
The Fair Credit Reporting Act has two damages provisions. One is § 1681o, which allows consumers to recover actual damages and attorney's fees when a credit reporting agency or furnisher is
FCRA and Damages · 4 min read
The "Disputed" Notation Furnishers Forget
You disputed a debt. The credit bureau told you it had been verified. The account is still on your report. You assumed the dispute was over.
Furnisher Liability · 4 min read
Major FCRA Verdicts: When Awards Exceed Half a Million
Calvin Brim paid his Dell computer bill. Dell misapplied the payment.
Cases and Damages · 9 min read
Reasonable Procedures: How Credit Bureaus Get Away With Errors
Credit bureaus do not have to be perfect, just "reasonable." That standard explains why errors persist despite years of consumer complaints, and understanding it helps you dispute more
Consumer Rights · 5 min read
The Deceptive Marketing Behind "Free" Credit Monitoring
Credit monitoring is often marketed as 'free,' but the fine print tells a different story.
Consumer Protection · 5 min read
Who Can Pull Your Credit Report Under the FCRA, and Who Cannot
Not everyone can access your credit report. The FCRA limits who can pull it and why. When someone accesses your report without permission, they may have violated federal law.
Credit Reporting · 6 min read
How to Request an Identity Theft Block: Complete Requirements
When you have been a victim of identity theft, one of your strongest rights is the ability to have credit bureaus block fraudulent information from your report.
Consumer Rights · 5 min read
Extended Fraud Alerts: Stronger Protection for ID Theft Victims
Anyone who suspects fraud can place a one-year initial fraud alert.
Consumer Protection · 4 min read
What Debt Collectors Must Do When You Report Identity Theft
One of the most frustrating parts of identity theft is dealing with debt collectors chasing accounts that aren't yours.
Consumer Rights · 5 min read
The Five Types of Identity Theft and Why It Keeps Growing
Identity theft isn't a rare event that happens to other people. It affects millions of Americans every year, and understanding the scale helps explain why the credit system handles it so poorly.
Identity Theft · 5 min read
Identity Theft Report: Your Most Powerful FCRA Tool
An identity theft report is the key that unlocks your legal rights as a victim. Here's how to get one and use it to force bureaus and creditors to act.
Identity Theft · 5 min read
Fraud Alerts Explained: Which Type Do You Need? (FCRA)
A fraud alert can help shield you from identity theft, but the three types carry different requirements and different levels of protection.
Consumer Protection · 5 min read
Seventy-Five Cents: What Your Dispute Is Worth to a Credit Bureau
In one landmark case, evidence showed that a credit bureau spent about 75 cents per consumer dispute investigation.
Disputes · 6 min read
The Hidden Trap in Credit Monitoring Contracts: Arbitration
That 'free' credit monitoring after a data breach? It may strip away your legal rights. Here is what to know about mandatory arbitration clauses before you click accept.
Consumer Protection · 5 min read
Mixed Files vs. Identity Theft: What's Happening to Your Credit
That unfamiliar account on your credit report might not be fraud at all. Understanding 'mixed files' can change how you fight back, and how strong your case is.
Credit Reports · 9 min read
The Big Three Credit Bureaus: Why Your Reports Differ
Your credit file at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion can contain surprisingly different information. Understanding why helps you spot errors and protect yourself.
Credit Reports · 4 min read
How to Get Your Free Credit Reports Without Getting Scammed
The credit bureaus make billions selling monitoring products. Here is how to actually get the free reports you are legally entitled to, without falling into their marketing traps.
Consumer Rights · 5 min read
Your Rights When an Employer Runs a Background Check (FCRA)
The FCRA does not just cover credit reports. It covers employment background checks too: criminal records, prior employment, and education verification.
Background Checks · 10 min read
What Your Creditor Must Actually Do When You Dispute
When you dispute an error through a credit bureau, your creditor receives a notice. What happens next is supposed to be an investigation. Too often it is a rubber stamp.
Disputes · 7 min read
Consumer Reports Are Bigger Than Credit Reports
The Fair Credit Reporting Act does not just cover credit reports.
FCRA Basics · 6 min read
When Your Background Check Shows Someone Else's Crimes
Criminal-record errors on background checks are more common than most people realize, and the consequences are immediate.
Background Checks · 10 min read
The FCRA Reinvestigation Right Most Consumers Never Use
After a credit-bureau dispute comes back "verified," you have a statutory right to demand a written description of how the bureau reached that conclusion. Most consumers never use it.
Credit Reporting · 6 min read
Sign Your Own Credit Dispute Letter, Not Your Lawyer's
When you dispute a credit-report error, you, the consumer, should sign and mail the letter, not your lawyer.
Practical Advice · 6 min read
What Happens After You Submit a Credit Dispute
You sent your dispute letter. Now what? Understanding the reinvestigation process tells you what to expect, when to push back, and what rights you can enforce if the bureau falls short.
Consumer Rights · 5 min read