A consumer, meaning an individual, can sue anyone who willfully or negligently violates the FCRA with respect to that consumer, if the violation caused a concrete injury. Defendants can include credit bureaus, screening companies, users of reports, and some furnishers.
The FCRA’s private remedies run to the consumer. The statute defines a consumer as an individual, so the right to sue under §§ 1681n and 1681o belongs to people, not businesses. Each section makes a person who fails to comply with the Act “with respect to any consumer” liable to that consumer.
Who you may be able to sue
According to the CFPB’s summary of consumer rights, if a consumer reporting agency, or in some cases a user of consumer reports or a furnisher of information, violates the FCRA, you may be able to sue in state or federal court. That can include:
- The nationwide credit bureaus and specialty reporting agencies.
- Background check and tenant screening companies.
- Lenders, collectors, and servicers that furnish information, but generally only for failing to investigate after a credit bureau forwards your dispute (15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(b)).
- People or companies that obtain your report without a permissible purpose.
You need a concrete injury
Having a claim under the statute is not enough by itself to get into federal court. In TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez (2021), the Supreme Court held that a plaintiff must show a concrete harm to have standing to sue for damages. Class members whose inaccurate reports were disclosed to third parties had standing; those whose reports were never disclosed did not.
Credit bureaus can sue too
Section 1681n(b) also lets a consumer reporting agency sue someone who obtains a report from it under false pretenses or knowingly without a permissible purpose.
If an inaccurate report or other violation affected you, a free case review can help sort out who may be responsible, with no fee unless we win.
Related
- What Is the FCRA? The Fair Credit Reporting Act in Plain English
- Companies we sue
- Credit report lawsuits
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681a, definitions including 'consumer' (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681n (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681o (Cornell LII)
- TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez, 594 U.S. 413 (2021) (Cornell LII)
- CFPB, A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.