The class has been certified in an action filed against debt collector Corporate Receivables, Inc. on behalf of all persons with Illinois addresses who, on or after September 17, 2001, were sent a letter seeking to collect an amount allegedly owed to Household. The action alleges that Corporate Receivables failed to state clearly the amount of the debt it was seeking to collect in violation of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The action seeks damages as allowed by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, up to $1,000 per letter sent, not to exceed the lesser of $500,000 or 1% of the net worth of the debt collector.

Rather than state a specific amount owed as required by law, Corporate Receivables' collection letters allegedly stated, "The balance includes the principal amount due and may include interest and all late charges or other penalties applicable, under the default provisions of your contract with the creditor. You may wish to consult the default provisions of your contract to confirm these additional charges, if any." Also, the letters allegedly included a requirement that debtors write a letter: "Unless you notify this office, in writing, within thirty days after receiving this notice that you dispute the validity of the debt or any portion thereof, this office will assume this debt is valid." Federal law does not require this type of letter back to the debt collector, and the action alleges that it is an illegal burden placed on the debtor.

The action initially named another company by the name of OSI Collections, Inc., but it has since gone into bankruptcy, so proceedings against it have been stayed. The allegations made against OSI were substantially the same as those made against Corporate.