In a 10-page precedential decision, a Third Circuit panel unanimously held that zero equals zero, affirming the decision of the District of New Jersey. Hopkins v. Collecto (April 12, 2021).
The case arose under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Because the debt in question carried no interest, the collection letter, in tabular form, reflected accrued interest as “$0.00”. Plaintiff debtor, asserting a class action, alleged that the collection letter, by showing that zero interest was owed, falsely implied that interest could accrue later.
