CO HB1194

Creditors, debt collectors, and collection agencies must cease collection of debts resulting from economic abuse or coerced debt when a consumer provides written notice with a statement of coerced debt and sufficient documentation, until a court finds the debt was not coerced

Defines "coerced debt" as debt incurred through fraud, duress, intimidation, threat, force, or manipulation within the context of domestic violence, human trafficking, or elder abuse, and defines "economic abuse" as behavior that controls a person's ability to acquire or maintain economic resources

Requires creditors challenging a coerced debt claim to file suit and bear the burden of proving by preponderance of evidence that the debt was not the result of economic abuse or that the consumer's claim is fraudulent

Authorizes consumer reporting agencies to reinvestigate disputed items that consumers assert resulted from economic abuse or coerced debt, free of charge within 30 business days

Adds economic abuse and coerced debt to the definition of "coercion" for purposes of civil protection orders in domestic violence cases