Civil Rights Group Files Lawsuit Against the CFPB

A civil rights group called the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law recently filed a lawsuit against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for not responding sufficiently or quickly enough to four Freedom of Information Act (FOIAs) requests filed last year. 

The four FOIAs seek to uncover documents and correspondence related to the CFPB’s reorganization in 2018 led by former Acting Director Mick Mulvaney and the CFPB’s proposal to rescind certain provisions of the Small-Dollar Rule, also known as the payday rule.

“We know that Mr. Mulvaney previously accepted large campaign contributions from key points of contact in the payday lending industry as a member of Congress, and the American people deserve to know if their influence had anything to do with his decision to undermine anti-discrimination enforcement or roll back regulations preventing predatory lending,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the legal group. “Through our litigation we are fighting to promote transparency during an era in which CFPB, OMB, and other agencies have increasingly concealed information to keep the public in the dark.”

The CFPB has not provided comment on the lawsuit.