LITIGATION FORUM TRACK: FDCPA, TCPA & FCRA

Partner, Locke Lord LLP

Simon Fleischmann is Deputy Chair of Locke Lord’s national Financial Services Litigation Practice Group. He advises banks and non-bank financial services providers in complex litigation and regulatory enforcement matters across the country. He has tried jury and non-jury cases, argued in federal and state courts of appeal, and effectively responded to investigations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Illinois Attorney General. Most of the matters Simon handles involve consumer-related operations, such as loan origination and modification practices, payment application procedures, website accessibility, online payment fees, collateral preservation procedures, default servicing procedures, debt collection, outbound calling practices and related technology.

Partner, Houser LLP

Kathleen M. Massimo is Partner in Houser LLP’s New York and New Jersey offices. Ms. Massimo represents corporations, financial institutions, corporate directors and officers and other institutional clients. She has successfully tried cases in both New York and New Jersey. As an active litigator, Ms. Massimo represents clients in all aspects of litigation including evidentiary hearings, mediations, depositions, bankruptcy proceedings, discovery disputes and motion hearings. Ms. Massimo’s focus is to creatively resolve matters for her clients quickly and efficiently. She also works with clients to develop best practices and legal compliance. A substantial portion of Ms. Massimo’s practice is also devoted to Appeals. She has successfully argued before the New York and New Jersey state Appellate Courts and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Before joining Houser, Ms. Massimo clerked for the Honorable Joseph L. Yannotti, P.J.A.D. of the New Jersey Appellate Division and was as a litigator at a large, New York firm.

Partner, Ballard Spahr LLP

Joel E. Tasca has spent his career in Ballard Spahr's Litigation Department, where he represents companies of all sizes, as well as individuals, in complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. He was in the firm's Philadelphia office before moving to the Las Vegas office. Joel has represented clients in a broad range of areas, including consumer financial services, securities fraud, professional malpractice, products liability, complex business disputes, data breaches, and open records litigation. In the area of consumer financial services, Joel has experience defending banks, mortgage servicers, fintech companies, small-dollar lenders, and numerous other types of financial institutions in class and individual actions brought by consumers. Many of these suits have arisen under federal consumer protection laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Truth in Lending Act, and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, as well as under state unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices statutes. Joel has obtained countless dismissals, summary judgments and jury verdicts, as well as favorable settlements on behalf of financial institutions in consumer lawsuits and arbitrations. Joel also regularly counsels his financial institution clients on ways to reduce their risk of liability to consumers.