⚖ Oral Arguments, with Context

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Michael Sheridan v. Ally Financial Incorporated — 4th Cir. (Sep 16, 2026)

No. 25-2145 Argued September 16, 2026 Published October 4, 2026

Michael Sheridan challenges fees charged when he made payments on a car loan held by Ally Financial. Ally offered online and telephone payments through outside companies. Each transaction carried a fee of a few dollars. Sheridan sued on behalf of West Virginia borrowers, saying the fees violated the state's consumer-credit law. Ally says the processors were not its agents, and it received none of those fees. A federal district judge allowed a class of about fifteen thousand borrowers to proceed together. Ally appealed that class-certification order to the Fourth Circuit. The question here is not simply whether the fees were lawful. It is whether the borrowers' claims can be decided together, or require separate inquiries into what each borrower believed and relied on.

Michael Sheridan v. Ally Financial Incorporated (No. 25-2145) — U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, argued September 16, 2026.

Sources
Argument audio — Fourth Circuit (public domain, 17 U.S.C. §105):https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/OAarchive/mp3/25-2145-20260916.mp3
Argument date and counsel — Fourth Circuit:https://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/oral-argument/oral-argument-audio-files
Appealed class-certification order — S.D. West Virginia, Doc.131, July22,2025 (public court filing mirrored by Justia):https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/west-virginia/wvsdce/5%3A2023cv00616/237622/131/0.pdf
Summary-judgment order — S.D. West Virginia, Doc.130, July22,2025:https://cases.justia.com/federal/district-courts/west-virginia/wvsdce/5%3A2023cv00616/237622/130/0.pdf
Ally-supporting amicus — Chamber/AFSA, filed Dec19,2025 (advocacy, not court holding):https://www.uschamber.com/assets/documents/U.S.-Chamber-Coalition-Amicus-Ally-Financial-Inc.-v.-Sheridan-Fourth-Circuit.pdf
Sheridan-supporting amicus — NACA/NCLC, filed Feb13,2026 (advocacy, not court holding):https://www.consumeradvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026.02.13-Amici-Curiae-NACA-and-NCLC-dkt.-31-1.pdf
Class certification and predominance — Federal Rule23, Cornell LII:https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_23
Debt-collection definitions — West Virginia Code §46A-2-122:https://code.wvlegislature.gov/46A-2-122/
Deceptive debt-collection practices — West Virginia Code §46A-2-127:https://code.wvlegislature.gov/46A-2-127/
Unfair debt-collection practices and extra fees — West Virginia Code §46A-2-128:https://code.wvlegislature.gov/46A-2-128/

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