Equifax, Experian & TransUnion Bankruptcy Reporting Lawsuit, Were You Affected? — Goyette v. Equifax, No. 8:26-cv-01838; Goyette v. Experian, No. 8:26-cv-01840; Goyette v. TransUnion, No. 8:26-cv-01841

If your credit report still shows a debt as “past due” months after a bankruptcy court discharged it — you weren’t imagining that something was wrong. Dennis Goyette filed three separate class action lawsuits against Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, No. 8:26-cv-01838, No. 8:26-cv-01840, and No. 8:26-cv-01841, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, claiming all three bureaus kept reporting a discharged joint account as unpaid.

Who Are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and Why Are They Being Sued for This?

These three companies run the credit reporting system nearly every lender in the country relies on. That’s exactly the problem here. When one bureau’s records are wrong, it can quietly follow you for years — denied loans, higher interest rates, awkward conversations at the dealership — without you ever knowing why. This case alleges all three bureaus made the identical mistake on the identical account, for the identical customer, at the identical time.

What Did Equifax, Experian and TransUnion Do to Dennis Goyette Between April 2025 and Now?

Here’s the timeline. Dennis Goyette and his wife, Peggy Goyette, filed a joint Chapter 7 bankruptcy on or about December 26, 2024, and received a discharge on or about April 8, 2025 — including an Achieva Credit Union account. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, once a debt is discharged, credit bureaus are required to maintain reasonable procedures to report it accurately going forward.

Related lawsuit on Equifax: Equifax $2.2 Million Credit File Error Settlement

That’s not what happened. According to the lawsuits, all three bureaus’ reports acknowledged Goyette’s bankruptcy generally, but each one kept listing the Achieva account as past due instead of discharged. Experian went a step further, allegedly describing the account as “closed at consumer’s request” — which isn’t what happened either.

Here’s the detail that makes this case interesting. The exact same Achieva account, from the exact same bankruptcy, was reported correctly as discharged on Peggy Goyette’s credit report with all three of the same bureaus. One spouse’s file was right. The other’s was wrong. Same account, same bankruptcy, two different outcomes depending on whose name was on top.

If a bureau can get it right for one joint accountholder and wrong for the other on the identical debt, that’s not a data problem — that’s a systems problem.

Are You Part of the Equifax, Experian or TransUnion Bankruptcy Reporting Lawsuit?

Here’s exactly how to know if this case includes you.

• Consumers who filed a joint bankruptcy with a spouse or co-borrower within the last two years
• People whose credit report with Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion still listed a jointly held account as past due, delinquent, or unresolved after the discharge order
• Anyone whose joint accountholder’s report, with the same bureau, correctly showed the account as discharged
• This isn’t about disputes you filed and lost — it’s specifically about accounts that were never properly updated to reflect the bankruptcy discharge in the first place

Goyette Case Applicability Outside Florida — Are You Still Covered?

This is a federal FCRA case, so coverage is nationwide, even though it was filed in Florida. Each of the three lawsuits seeks to represent a nationwide class, not just Florida residents. What matters is whether your account was mishandled the way Goyette’s was, not where you live.

Not sure if you qualify for the Equifax, Experian or TransUnion lawsuit? A free consultation with a consumer rights attorney can help you check whether your post-bankruptcy credit file has the same kind of error.

Related article: Apple v. OpenAI Trade Secret Lawsuit, Everything That’s Happened So Far — Apple Inc. v. Liu, et al., No. 5:26-cv-07078

What Are Goyette and the Proposed Class Asking the Court to Award?

There’s no settlement here — this is active litigation. Goyette is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief, plus statutory and punitive damages, in each of the three cases. A jury trial has been demanded in all three.

What Could Class Members Receive If These Cases Settle?

Too early to say with any precision. Statutory damages under the FCRA typically run up to $1,000 per willful violation, and past bankruptcy-reporting cases against these same bureaus have settled for tens of millions of dollars covering hundreds of thousands of people. That’s context, not a prediction — this case hasn’t even reached class certification.

What Should Consumers Do Right Now?

1. Pull your credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com — they don’t always match, and that mismatch is the whole point of this case.
2. If you had a joint bankruptcy discharge, compare your report against your co-filer’s report from the same bureau, line by line, on any shared account.
3. Save your bankruptcy discharge order. You’ll want the exact date and case number if you ever need to show a bureau it was wrong.
4. There’s no lead plaintiff deadline in a consumer case like this one — Goyette is already serving that role.
5. Watch the dockets: 8:26-cv-01838 (Equifax), 8:26-cv-01840 (Experian), and 8:26-cv-01841 (TransUnion), all in the Middle District of Florida before Judge John L. Badalamenti.
6. If a mismatched report already cost you a loan, a rate, or an approval, a consumer rights attorney can evaluate an individual FCRA claim now, separate from the class case.

Equifax, Experian, TransUnion Bankruptcy Reporting Lawsuit — Full Timeline

Milestone	Date
Goyettes’ joint Chapter 7 bankruptcy filed	On or about December 26, 2024
Bankruptcy discharge granted (including Achieva account)	On or about April 8, 2025
Lawsuit filed against Experian	June 24, 2026
Lawsuits filed against Equifax and TransUnion	Late June 2026
Next scheduled hearing	UNVERIFIED — not yet reported
Expected resolution	UNVERIFIED — case is in its earliest stage

Equifax, Experian & TransUnion Bankruptcy Lawsuit — Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a class action lawsuit against Equifax, Experian and TransUnion right now?

 Yes. Dennis Goyette filed three separate suits — No. 8:26-cv-01838 against Equifax, No. 8:26-cv-01840 against Experian, and No. 8:26-cv-01841 against TransUnion — in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in late June 2026.

Do I need to do anything right now to be part of this lawsuit?

 No. There’s no claim form or deadline. Pull your credit reports and compare them against a joint accountholder’s report if you had a shared bankruptcy discharge.

When will the Equifax, Experian and TransUnion cases settle?

 There’s no timeline yet. These cases were just filed and haven’t reached class certification.

Can I file my own lawsuit against Equifax, Experian or TransUnion instead of joining the class?

 Yes. If a specific credit reporting error cost you money — a denied loan, a higher rate — an individual FCRA claim may be worth pursuing on its own, with the help of a consumer rights attorney.

How will I find out if these lawsuits settle?

 Monitor the three case numbers in the Middle District of Florida, or check back here for updates.

What does “lead plaintiff” mean here and why does it matter?

 This is a consumer class action, not a securities case, so there’s no separate lead plaintiff deadline. Dennis Goyette is already the named plaintiff in all three suits.

What specific law do Equifax, Experian and TransUnion allegedly violate?

 The Fair Credit Reporting Act, specifically its requirement that consumer reporting agencies maintain reasonable procedures to ensure the accuracy of information they report.

How much could class members get if these cases settle? 

Unknown. No settlement fund exists yet. The FCRA allows statutory damages up to $1,000 per willful violation, plus potential punitive damages, but any actual recovery would depend on how the litigation and any eventual settlement play out.

Sources Used in This Equifax, Experian & TransUnion Article

• PacerMonitor federal docket — Goyette v. Equifax Information Services, LLC, No. 8:26-cv-01838: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/65353092/Goyette_v_Equifax_Information_Services,_LLC
• PacerMonitor federal docket — Goyette v. Experian Information Solutions, Inc., No. 8:26-cv-01840, filed June 24, 2026: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/65353094/Goyette_v_Experian_Information_Solutions,_Inc
• PacerMonitor federal docket — Goyette v. TransUnion, LLC, No. 8:26-cv-01841: https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/65353095/Goyette_v_TransUnion,_LLC

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The claims described are allegations only and have not been proven in court. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.