There is caselaw saying that library fines are not covered under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, but it is still worth disputing the debt with the collection agency and the library itself, and explaining the reasons you do not believe you owe the debt. If they report it to the credit bureaus, you will have rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. You can send disputes to the bureaus that list the debt, along with any evidence you have that your dispute is correct, and make sure to cc the collection agency. If they do not remove the debt, and you can prove that your really do not owe the debt, you could then sue them under the FCRA. On the other hand, if you really do owe the debt, the best thing to do would be to just pay up, and help support your local library!
The question
I received a notice from a collection agency claiming to represent my local library. They say that I owe $56.10 for past due fees on books that have already been returned. They say that it will be reported to a credit bureau, can they do that? What can I do other than paying the debt, which I don't think I owe?
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From the LawyerCentral forum archive. Originally posted 28 November 2011 on a legal forum that has closed. Names and contact details were removed. See the original (Internet Archive).
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