By Samantha Paul Florida consumer Dennis Goyette has filed three proposed class-action lawsuits against Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, accusing the nation’s major credit reporting agencies of incorrectly reporting a debt that had already been discharged in bankruptcy. The lawsuits raise an unusual allegation: the agencies allegedly reported the same joint account correctly on Goyette’s wife’s credit reports but continued showing a balance or delinquency on his reports. Goyette contends that the conflicting information demonstrates failures in the companies’ credit-reporting procedures under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, or FCRA.
What Is the Dennis Goyette Credit Reporting Lawsuit About?
Goyette filed three separate lawsuits on June 24, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division.
The cases are Goyette v. Equifax Information Services, LLC, No. 8:26-cv-01838; Goyette v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc., No. 8:26-cv-01840; and Goyette v. TransUnion, LLC, No. 8:26-cv-01841. Each lawsuit is structured as a proposed nationwide class action and makes substantially similar allegations against the individual credit bureau.
Goyette and His Wife Filed Chapter 7 Bankruptcy
According to the complaints, Dennis Goyette and his wife, Peggy Goyette, filed a joint Chapter 7 bankruptcy on or about December 26, 2024, in the Middle District of Florida.
Their bankruptcy discharge was granted around April 8, 2025. Among the obligations covered by the bankruptcy was a joint Achieva Credit Union credit card account.
Goyette alleges that the credit reporting agencies knew about the bankruptcy. His reports allegedly contained the bankruptcy itself and correctly identified several other accounts as discharged.
What Was Allegedly Wrong With Goyette’s Credit Reports?
The central allegation involves the Achieva Credit Union account.
According to the Equifax complaint, Goyette discovered around June 2026 that Equifax was reporting the account as 30 to 59 days past due, with a balance of approximately $7,306 and $289 past due, even though the debt allegedly had been discharged more than a year earlier.
TransUnion allegedly reported the same joint account as 30 days past due with a balance of approximately $7,306 as of May 2026.
Experian allegedly reported a $7,036 balance and $289 past due, while also describing the account as “closed at consumer’s requests.” Goyette argues that this description was inaccurate because the account had instead been included in his bankruptcy discharge.
Why Is His Wife’s Credit Report Important?
The most significant part of Goyette’s argument is how the same account allegedly appeared on Peggy Goyette’s reports.
The complaints say Equifax, Experian and TransUnion correctly reported the joint Achieva account on her credit files as discharged in bankruptcy with a zero-dollar balance and no amount past due.
Goyette argues that this creates a logical inconsistency. The account belonged jointly to the same two people, was included in the same joint bankruptcy and received the same discharge, yet allegedly appeared differently depending on which spouse’s credit report was viewed.
What Does the Fair Credit Reporting Act Require?
Goyette is suing under Section 1681e(b) of the FCRA.
That provision requires consumer reporting agencies to follow reasonable procedures designed to assure the “maximum possible accuracy” of information contained in consumer reports.
His lawsuits contend that the conflicting bankruptcy reporting demonstrates that the three agencies lack adequate procedures for handling joint accounts included in joint bankruptcy cases. The complaints characterize the alleged conduct as negligent and/or willful.
Goyette also alleges that the negative information lowered his credit score, harmed his financial reputation and caused anxiety, embarrassment and problems when seeking credit.
Who Could Be Included in the Proposed Class?
Each complaint seeks to represent a nationwide class.
The proposed classes generally include consumers for whom the relevant credit bureau published a report containing a joint account discharged through joint bankruptcy without showing the discharge and zero balance, while correctly reporting that same account as discharged on the other joint owner’s report.
The proposed period begins two years before the lawsuits were filed and continues through any eventual class-certification date. Goyette alleges that hundreds or potentially thousands of consumers may have been affected.
However, no class has yet been certified.
What Damages Is Dennis Goyette Seeking?
The lawsuits seek statutory and punitive damages, declaratory and injunctive relief, attorneys’ fees, litigation costs and other relief allowed by the FCRA.
For willful FCRA violations, federal law can permit statutory damages ranging from $100 to $1,000 per affected consumer, along with possible punitive damages. Negligent violations can potentially support recovery of actual damages.
Those figures do not mean Goyette or proposed class members have already won compensation.
Where Do the Credit Reporting Lawsuits Stand?
As of August 2026, the Goyette cases remain newly filed federal class-action proceedings. There is no settlement fund, claim form or consumer payout, and Equifax, Experian and TransUnion have not been found liable.
The litigation will have to proceed through the defendants’ responses and potentially class-certification proceedings before the claims can move toward trial or settlement.
The cases could become important FCRA litigation because they focus not merely on a single incorrect number, but on whether automated credit-reporting systems can reliably connect bankruptcy information across joint accounts. If Goyette proves that the same pattern affected large numbers of consumers, the lawsuits could expose broader weaknesses in how bankruptcy discharges are reflected on U.S. credit reports.