Leonard A. Bennett

Leonard Bennett has been a trial attorney and consumer advocate since 1994 in Newport News, Virginia. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA), on the National Consumer Law Center’s Partner’s Council, a Williamsburg Society member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute.

Leonard has been a speaker at numerous programs, including NACA and NCLC conferences, ABA and state bar CLE seminars, NAVY and ARMY JAG instruction, and law school courses. He presented NACA’s “Fair Credit Reporting Act” Congressional Testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services in 2003, 2007, and 2008, and has been quoted by The New York Times, USA TODAY, Kiplinger, and The Washington Post, among others. He was a Federal Trade Commission invited panelist for its 2011 Debt Collection 2.0 Roundtable and is also a contributing editor to the NCLC Fair Credit Reporting Manual.

Leonard’s practice is focused on the representation of consumers. He has litigated individual and class cases throughout the country, trying as many credit reporting cases to a jury as nearly anyone in the nation, and has been approved as Class Counsel in numerous class action cases.

Education
  • George Mason University School of Law and Economics, J.D., 1994
  • George Mason University, B.A., 1989
Distinctions
Bar & Court Admissions
  • Virginia State Bar, 1994
  • North Carolina State Bar, 1995
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, 11th Circuit Courts of Appeals
  • Numerous federal District Courts around the country

Success Stories

Sanders v. Global Radar Acquisition – $3.6 million settlement
CLA resolved the FCRA claims of a class of consumers on whom Global Radar provided background checks without obtaining the appropriate certifications from the users...
Gibbs v. Rees and TCV – $50 million settlement
CLA represented a national class of consumers who borrowed money at what they believed were legal rates because of the lenders’ supposed alignment with American...
Berry v. LexisNexis Risk Management, Inc. – groundbreaking settlement
CLA represented a class of consumers against a company that claimed the FCRA did not apply to it, so it would not comply with any...
Brim v. Midland Credit Management – $723,000 FCRA jury verdict
A federal jury returned a verdict for CLA’s client Mr. Brim against debt buyer Midland Credit Management in a case where Midland attempted to collect...
Domonoske/Rivera v. Bank of America – $10 million settlement
CLA negotiated an eight-figure settlement for a class of consumers alleging Bank of America failed to meet the FCRA’s requirement that it provide certain credit...
Hargrett v. Amazon.com – $5 million settlement
CLA resolved the FCRA claims of approximately 454,000 consumers that led to one of the country’s largest employers revising its background-check procedures so they would...
Thomas v. Equifax Information Services, LLC – watershed settlement
CLA represented a class against Equifax for violations of the FCRA relating to its reporting of public records like liens and judgments. The result was...
Moody v. Ascenda USA, Inc. – $2.5 million settlement
CLA resolved claims of nearly 50,000 consumers nationwide, and leading to both defendants revising their procedures so that they would comply with the FCRA. The...
Ridenour v. Sterling Infosystems, Inc. – $5.9 million settlement
CLA represented a nationwide class of 36,002 consumers on whom Sterling sold background checks to employers. All told, a national class and a subclass of...
Gibbs v. Plain Green, LLC and Great Plains Lending, LLC – $55 million groundbreaking settlement
CLA represented classes against lenders Plain Green, LLC and Great Plains Lending, LLC for violations of federal and various state laws by (a) making and...
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Leonard A. Bennett
Consumer Litigation Associates

Leonard Bennett has been a trial attorney and consumer advocate since 1994 in Newport News, Virginia. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA), on the National Consumer Law Center’s Partner’s Council, a Williamsburg Society member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and a member of the Trial Law Institute and Diversity Law Institute.

Leonard has been a speaker at numerous programs, including NACA and NCLC conferences, ABA and state bar CLE seminars, NAVY and ARMY JAG instruction, and law school courses. He presented NACA’s “Fair Credit Reporting Act” Congressional Testimony before the House Committee on Financial Services in 2003, 2007, and 2008, and has been quoted by The New York Times, USA TODAY, Kiplinger, and The Washington Post, among others. He was a Federal Trade Commission invited panelist for its 2011 Debt Collection 2.0 Roundtable and is also a contributing editor to the NCLC Fair Credit Reporting Manual.

Leonard’s practice is focused on the representation of consumers. He has litigated individual and class cases throughout the country, trying as many credit reporting cases to a jury as nearly anyone in the nation, and has been approved as Class Counsel in numerous class action cases.

Consumer Litigation Associates 763 J. Clyde Morris Blvd. Suite 1-A Newport News, Virginia 23601 (757) 930-3660
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Firm News And Updates

Class action settlement provides $489 million in relief to victims of illegal internet payday lenders
After three years of extensive litigation, the settlement will provide relief to approximately 555,000 consumers who were subject to illegal practices by internet payday lenders. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2022   Richmond, VA – The federal court in Richmond today gave...
Donna Winters Selected by Virginia Lawyers Weekly for Unsung Legal Heroes 2021
Congratulations to Donna Winters, one of our Lead Paralegals, for being selected by Virginia Lawyers Weekly for Unsung Legal Heroes 2021! Click the link below to learn more about the award: https://valawyersweekly.com/2021/12/23/vlw-unsung-heroes-2021/  
The National Trial Lawyers Announces Kevin Dillon as One of Its Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Virginia
The National Trial Lawyers is pleased to announce that Kevin Dillon of Consumer Litigation Associates, PC has been selected for inclusion into its Top 40 Under 40 Civil Plaintiff Trial Lawyers in Virginia, an honor given to only a select...