Practice Area
Consumer
Protection
Consumer protection law exists to safeguard the public against unethical conduct and irresponsible behavior by corporations, government agencies, and other bad actors. When companies violate these laws to enrich themselves at the risk of their customers' health, safety, and financial wellbeing, they need to be held accountable.
Singleton Schreiber's consumer protection attorneys have a deep understanding of every facet of this practice area — from nursing home abuse and product liability to false advertising, data privacy, and the emerging frontier of weaponized AI being used to illegally screen out tenants or deny insurance claims. Don't let irresponsible companies harm you physically, financially, or otherwise.
What We Handle
Consumer Protection Violations
Predatory Lending & Credit
High-cost credit products, predatory mortgage terms, abusive credit repair services, and loans specifically targeting military service members in violation of federal protections.
Student Loan Servicing
Predatory or discriminatory servicing practices that mislead borrowers about repayment options, misapply payments, or fail to honor loan forgiveness programs.
Data Breaches & Privacy
Companies that negligently fail to protect consumer data — exposing personal and financial information to theft and fraud — can face significant liability, as in the 2017 Equifax breach affecting nearly 150 million consumers.
Abusive Debt Collection
Harassment, false threats, misrepresentation of debts, and other abusive tactics by debt collectors violate federal and state law and can entitle consumers to statutory damages.
Weaponized AI Screening
An emerging frontier — landlords, insurers, and employers increasingly use automated algorithms to screen tenants, deny insurance claims, or make hiring decisions in ways that may be discriminatory or unlawful.
Solar & Home Improvement Financing
Deceptive solar panel financing arrangements and home improvement loans that misrepresent costs, savings, or terms have generated significant consumer protection litigation in recent years.
Federal Protections
Key Federal Consumer Laws
Regulates telemarketers and restricts automatic dialers, robocalls, and unwanted texts — and protects consumers registered on the National Do Not Call Registry. Violations can carry statutory damages per call or message.
Regulates how credit bureaus report consumer credit information, gives consumers the right to know what is in their credit files, and to dispute inaccurate information that affects their financial lives.
Requires lenders to disclose the complete cost of a loan or credit product upfront — including interest and fees — and prohibits false advertising and discrimination in lending.
Protects consumers from unfair and misleading lending practices and gives borrowers the right to rescind loans entered into through high-pressure or unfair sales tactics.
Governs warranties on consumer products to ensure accurate, transparent terms — allowing consumers to compare coverage and limiting manufacturers' ability to disclaim warranties they offered or implied.
Prohibits deceptive sales practices and predatory lending in California. In many cases, California law offers stronger protections and greater remedies for consumers than federal law.
Why It Matters
When Violations Make Headlines
Equifax Data Breach (2019)
Equifax was fined $650 million for a 2017 data breach that exposed the personal and financial information of nearly 150 million consumers due to a fault in one of their database frameworks — one of the largest data privacy settlements in history.
Facebook FTC Penalty (2019)
Facebook was fined $5 billion by the FTC — the largest consumer protection penalty in history at the time — to settle charges that the company deceived users about their ability to control the privacy of their personal information.
State Protections
UDAP Laws & State Variation
Beyond federal law, most states have their own consumer protection statutes — often called UDAP laws (Unfair, Deceptive, and Abusive Practices) or "Little FTC Acts." These laws define what constitutes a consumer protection violation in that state and the remedies available to consumers, and they vary significantly from state to state.
Some states offer significantly stronger protections than federal law. New York's General Business Law (GBL) is widely respected, and Illinois leads the country in state privacy legislation through its Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). California's consumer financial protections are also among the strongest in the nation.
For consumer access to debt litigation specifically, the strongest state laws are found in Delaware, New York, Alaska, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Many state legislatures are actively working to strengthen data privacy protections as digital-age consumer harms continue to evolve — and our team stays current on these developments to maximize the protections available to our clients.
States With Strongest UDAP Laws
- Hawaii
- California
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Connecticut
- Vermont
- Maryland
Common Questions
Consumer Protection FAQ
Consumer protection law exists to safeguard the public against unethical and irresponsible conduct by corporations, government agencies, and other actors. It covers areas including predatory lending, data privacy, debt collection, false advertising, product warranties, and more — at both the federal and state level.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act regulates telemarketers and restricts certain practices including automatic dialers and robocalls, and protects consumers who have registered on the National Do Not Call Registry. Violations can result in statutory damages per call or text message.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act regulates credit bureaus and how they report consumer credit information. It gives consumers the right to know what is in their credit files, dispute inaccurate information, and recover damages when credit reporting agencies fail to correct errors.
Yes, in many cases. Companies that negligently fail to protect consumer data and suffer a breach exposing personal or financial information may face liability. The 2017 Equifax breach, which exposed nearly 150 million consumers, resulted in a $650 million settlement — one of many examples of successful data breach litigation.
Weaponized AI refers to the use of automated algorithms and artificial intelligence systems by landlords, insurers, and other companies to make decisions — such as screening out tenants or denying insurance claims — in ways that may be discriminatory, inaccurate, or violate consumer protection laws. This is an emerging and rapidly developing area of consumer protection litigation.
In many cases, yes. California's Consumer Financial Protection Law and other state UDAP statutes often provide broader protections and greater remedies than federal law. California is consistently ranked among the states with the strongest consumer protection laws, alongside Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York.
Free Case Evaluation
Don't Let Them Get Away With It.
If a company has harmed you through deceptive, predatory, or unlawful practices, contact our team for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
Get a Free Case Evaluation →