Cisneros

This case involves a suit brought by nine low-income renters against defendants the U.D. Registry, Inc. (UDR) and its president Harvey Saltz for alleged violations of the state and federal statutes that govern the activities of consumer credit reporting and investigative agencies. Both sides appeal from a judgment granting relief to plaintiffs Ruth Cisneros and Rudine Pettus on their claim for failure to respond to a dispute request, but in favor of defendants in all other respects. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for retrial on certain issues we shall specify.

Factual Background

Defendant UDR gathers information regarding residential renters and sells that information to its subscribers, mainly landlords and their agents. The information comes from public records of unlawful detainers, forcible detainers, property damage cases, foreclosures, bankruptcies, and the like. UDR also solicits information from its subscribers, providing forms on which they are requested to describe each tenant, his or her treatment of the premises, and other behavior relevant to the tenancy. This information is then passed on to other subscribers screening applicants to fill a…