Mehdi Abdollahzadeh v. Mandarich Law Group, LLP

Sykes, Circuit Judge.

Mehdi Abdollahzadeh opened a credit-card account with MBNA America Bank in 1998 and used it to make various personal, family, and household purchases. Twelve years later he defaulted on his debt, making his last payment in August 2010. In June 2011 he attempted another payment, but it never cleared. In April 2013 the bank sold the delinquent account to CACH, LLC, a debt buyer.

CACH referred Abdollahzadeh's debt to the Mandarich Law Group, LLP ("Mandarich"), a debt-collection firm. CACH identified the later, unsuccessful payment attempt as the last payment on the account.…