In Florida, a worker hurt on the job is generally not the one who pays the medical bills from that injury, and a new class action says a debt collector texted injured workers for those bills anyway. DePaoli v. Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, Inc., No. 8:26-cv-02708-WFJ-CPT, was filed September 16, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division, by a Manatee County worker. He says Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, Inc., an Oklahoma debt collector licensed in Florida, texted him that he owed $111.40 for workers’ compensation care, and that saying so was a false statement under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Tulsa Adjustment Bureau has not been found liable, and there is nothing to claim.
Status: lawsuit filed September 16, 2026 in the Middle District of Florida, assigned to Judge William F. Jung | No settlement — nothing to claim yet
The Florida Rule Most Injured Workers Never Hear About
Section 440.13 of the Florida Statutes says an employee “is not liable for payment for medical treatment or services” provided under the workers’ compensation law, except as that law provides. It also says a health care provider “may not collect or receive a fee from an injured employee” except as the law allows. The provider’s recourse is the employer or its workers’ comp insurance carrier.
That rule now has teeth in debt collection. In July 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which covers Florida, held in Crawford v. North American Credit Services, Inc. that trying to collect a section 440.13 debt from the injured worker can violate the FDCPA. The Supreme Court declined to review that decision in November 2025. The complaint against Tulsa Adjustment Bureau relies on Crawford directly.
How the Bill Ended Up in a Text
| Around October 18, 2024 | The plaintiff receives medical services from a Lakeland radiology practice for a work injury |
| Afterward | The practice, the complaint says, sends the bill to Tulsa Adjustment Bureau for collection anyway |
| On or about October 21, 2025 | Tulsa Adjustment Bureau texts the plaintiff that he owes $111.40 |
| September 16, 2026 | Proposed class action filed in Tampa |
The complaint alleges the text was false because the plaintiff was not legally obligated to pay, which it says violates FDCPA section 1692e and its subsections (2) and (10). It also alleges the collector uses a standard text, attached to the complaint as an exhibit, with other injured workers in the same position.
Why One Text Can Support a Federal Case
Federal courts require a concrete injury before a plaintiff can sue. The complaint argues that a collection text about a debt the recipient does not owe is an invasion of privacy, and that this is enough for standing in the Eleventh Circuit under its 2023 decision in Drazen v. Pinto. Expect that argument to be tested early.
A Class of About Twenty
This is an unusually narrow proposed class. It covers people whose Florida workers’ compensation claim is available for review on the Florida Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims website and who, from one year before the filing through class certification, got a text from Tulsa Adjustment Bureau demanding payment for medical care connected to that claim, where no judge of compensation claims or the Florida Department of Financial Services had ruled the bill their responsibility.
Excluded are Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, entities it controls, its agents and employees, the judge and the judge’s staff and family, and the plaintiff’s lawyers and their staff and family. The complaint itself estimates the class at “at least twenty” people. No class has been certified.
The Money Is Not the Point
The complaint asks for FDCPA statutory damages, which allow up to $1,000 for the named plaintiff, plus attorneys’ fees and costs. In an FDCPA class action, statutory damages for the rest of the class are capped at the lesser of $500,000 or 1% of the collector’s net worth. With a class estimated at around 20 people, the case matters more as a test of how collectors handle workers’ comp medical bills in Florida than as a source of payouts.
If a Collector Texts You About a Comp Bill
General points for Florida injured workers, not legal advice:
- Match the bill to your claim. If the care was part of your workers’ comp claim, Florida law generally puts the bill on the carrier, not you.
- Keep the texts and letters, including the collector’s name, the amount, the date and the provider.
- Dispute it. Federal rules under Regulation F let you dispute a debt with a collector and request information verifying it.
- Loop in your adjuster or attorney. The carrier handling your claim is the party the provider should be billing.
- File a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Florida licenses collection agencies through its Office of Financial Regulation.
What Comes Next
Tulsa Adjustment Bureau must be served and respond, usually with an answer or a motion to dismiss. Likely early issues are whether a single text gives the plaintiff standing and whether a class this small and specific can be certified. One housekeeping note: the court docket lists the defendant as “Adjustment Bureau, Inc.,” while the complaint names Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, Inc. The OpenClassActions.com Tulsa Adjustment Bureau page has the complaint embedded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Florida injured workers have to pay workers’ comp medical bills?
Generally no. Section 440.13 of the Florida Statutes says an injured employee is not liable for payment for medical treatment provided under the workers’ compensation law, except as that law provides, and bars health care providers from collecting a fee from an injured employee except as the law allows. Providers are supposed to look to the employer or its insurance carrier. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is there a Tulsa Adjustment Bureau settlement or claim form?
No. DePaoli v. Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, Inc. was filed on September 16, 2026 and is at the complaint stage. There is no settlement fund, no claim form, no deadline and no certified class.
Who is in the proposed class?
People whose Florida workers’ compensation claim is available for review on the Florida Office of the Judges of Compensation Claims website and who, from one year before the filing through class certification, got a text from Tulsa Adjustment Bureau demanding payment for medical care tied to that claim, where no judge of compensation claims or the Florida Department of Financial Services had ruled the bill their responsibility. The complaint estimates at least 20 people.
What did the Crawford decision decide?
In July 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit held in Crawford v. North American Credit Services, Inc. that trying to collect a debt for care covered by section 440.13 from the injured worker can violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The Supreme Court declined to review the decision in November 2025.
Why does the docket list a different defendant name?
The court docket lists the defendant as Adjustment Bureau, Inc., while the complaint names Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, Inc. Both refer to the same case, No. 8:26-cv-02708-WFJ-CPT in the Middle District of Florida.
Sources
- Class Action Complaint, DePaoli v. Tulsa Adjustment Bureau, Inc., No. 8:26-cv-02708-WFJ-CPT (M.D. Fla., filed September 16, 2026)
- DePaoli v. Adjustment Bureau, Inc., docket via CourtListener
- Fla. Stat. § 440.13(3)(g) and (13)(a)
- Crawford v. North American Credit Services, Inc., No. 24-13931 (11th Cir. July 1, 2025), cert. denied (U.S. Nov. 17, 2025)
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692e and 1692k
- OpenClassActions.com: Tulsa Adjustment Bureau Class Action Over Texts to Florida Injured Workers for Workers’ Comp Medical Bills
Source and credit: this report builds on our sister site’s coverage — OpenClassActions.com: Tulsa Adjustment Bureau Class Action Over Texts to Florida Injured Workers for Workers’ Comp Medical Bills — which follows the case and is updated as new filings, orders and payment news come in.
Legal Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. OpenClassActions.org is a consumer news site, not a law firm, and is not affiliated with any party to the matters described. Allegations are allegations until a court rules on them, and court schedules and outcomes can change.