Archive for the ‘FAQs Collection Lawsuits’ Category

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Should I file bankruptcy to stop end my student loans and daily debt collection calls?

Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

Question: I am unemployed, owe a fortune in student loans, and $2000 in credit cards with two debt collection agencies. I live rent free with my family. There is no way that I can pay $100 per month to settle one of the debts, which is what they want from me to stop calling. Other debt collectors also call me every day. I don’t have the $2000 that a Bankruptcy attorney quoted me.

My response:
Bankruptcy court will approve the discharge of student loans only if you satisfy the “undue hardship” standard, which requires a special procedure to be filed in Bankruptcy Court. That can be expensive and there is no assurance of a favorable outcome. For a large amount of student loans, however, it may be worthwhile if you hire an experienced Bankruptcy Attorney, who evaluates your case and determines that you will likely prevail at such a hearing.

Many federally guaranteed student loans can be discharged in other ways that may have a more favorable standard depending on the circumstances and type of loans. For instance, if you are disabled and the loans are either FFELs, direct, or Perkins loans, you may be qualify for a disability discharge, which merely requires you to file the form, signed by a physician, that you qualify for total and permanent disability, including the medical diagnosis and why this prevents the borrower from working. There is no cost for this application. More information is available online from Student Loan Borrower Assistance and the U.S. Department of Education. There are other statutory loan discharges, such as for a closed school or if the school falsified eligibility. If a statutory discharge is sought and fails, perhaps bankruptcy can be a backup plan.

I have seen debt collection lawsuits filed against my clients for with under $1,000 in principal balance due. I would not assume that this debt collection agency will not sue to enforce either or both of these debts. However, why would they sue you if you are not working and have no assets or income? To file a debt collection lawsuit in California, the debt collection agency must hire a licensed California debt collection attorney, then pay the court’s filing fee and pay to have a process server deliver the documents to each defendant. These costs and fees can be added to the total debt, but if a collection lawsuit pushes the debtor to file bankruptcy or if the debtor is long-term unable to pay, then the debt collection agency has made a poor business decision to invest money on a debt that will not be recovered.

If the debt collection agency waits too long to file a collection lawsuit, then the debt becomes time-barred by the statute of limitations. From that point on, the debt collection agency cannot file a debt collection lawsuit, without risking having the case dismissed as untimely and risking being sued for violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).  The debt collector may not even threaten to file a lawsuit on a time-barred debt, without violating the FDCPA.  Thus, please read my prior blog posting on the “Don’t Pay A Dime Strategy” as an alternative to bankruptcy.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Posted in FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Harassment by Collectors, Options to Bankruptcy, Student Loans | No Comments »

Can a Judgment Lien Stop the Escrow of My House?

Monday, March 11th, 2013

Question: I sold my home and it is now in escrow with the buyers. I just learned from the escrow company that an old judgment that I discovered on my credit report years ago must be paid in full with interest, because of a lien that they filed against my house. Is this true and is it legal?

My response:
When a plaintiff wins a judgment for money, such as an unpaid credit card debt, against the defendant, if the judgment is not fully satisfied very soon after entry of judgment, then the judgment creditor’s attorney usually obtains an “Abstract of Judgment,” which is California Judicial Council Enforcement Form # EJ-001 (“Abstract”).

When the Abstract is recorded with the County Recorder or County Clerk’s office, a lien exists over all real property in that county, including a residence. From that point forward (excluding bankruptcy discharge, in many instances), until the judgment is satisfied in full or the judgment creditor records a release of lien, any sale of real property or attempt to refinance property in the name of the judgment debtor(s) becomes an opportunity for the judgment creditor to be paid.

I know of no title company that would insure the title to a property (which is required by the bank for financing a purchase or refinancing), unless all Abstracts that name any of sellers involved are satisfied in full or a release of lien recorded. Buyers also may be unable to obtain real property financing, if they have an outstanding recorded Abstract. Escrow companies facilitate this payoff process by contacting the judgment creditor’s collection attorney for a written payoff demand. When the collection attorney receives this request, they are supposed to compute how much is due and send a letter of the correct amount, including costs and accrued interest. The escrow company then will deduct the appropriate amount and pay this to the creditor’s attorney, who must provide the documentation that can be recorded to show the judgment has been fully satisfied and the Abstract released.

There are some exceptions to this rule, such as the homestead exemption amount ($75,000 or more, depending on the situation of the occupants and owners, such as age or disability). The homestead exemption protects equity when applied towards purchase of another home within six months. See Cal. Code of Civil Procedure, Section 704.720. My blog posting explains the homestead declaration and links to a sample homestead form.

One point about this process is that there is often abuse by the judgment creditor’s attorney.  In particular, there is the temptation to inflate the amount, such as by improperly adding attorney’s fees, demanding excessive fees and costs, and other such nonsense. This might be considered a violation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Obviously, the damages would be the inflated amount, as this is an attempt to collect more than the amount allowed by law. However, inflating the amount could also make it impossible for the Abstract to be satisfied in full, if the amount is so high that the transaction cannot be closed and the judgment creditor is not willing to sign a release of lien. Thus, damages could also be claimed for preventing the sale or refinancing from being completed.

While you might not have time to consider trying to vacate and set aside an old default judgment, especially if you are in the middle of escrow and need to complete that promptly, please read my blog postings about setting aside a default judgement. If the summons and complaint were not properly served on the defendants, the court lacked jurisdiction over the defendant(s), and even an old default judgment can be set aside by a special type of complaint in equity. Here’s one blog posting in particular, that concerns an old default judgment.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Posted in default judgments, FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Harassment by Collectors | No Comments »

Debt Collection Lawsuit for Unpaid Balance of a Car Loan Contract

Friday, March 8th, 2013

Question: About three years ago, I was unemployed and did not have enough money to keep paying for the insurance, gas, and installment payments. I contacted the finance company and they told me to surrender my car at the dealership and they would take care of the paperwork. The car was in great condition and I got a notice from the lender after the drop off that they would sell the car at an auction if I did not want the vehicle back. I thought that it would be over, but it wasn’t. They sent me a bill for the unpaid balance, reported it on my credit reports as a repossession, and now they hired a debt collection law firm from Orange County, which is pursing me in court. I was served with the debt collection lawsuit yesterday.

My response:
Please review my legal guide on Avvo.com which explains the California consumer’s rights following repossession of a motor vehicle. The fact that you took it yourself to the dealership and voluntarily surrendered it during business hours rather than have a repo agent come to your home at night to seize it does not change the fact that it was a repossession and the finance company’s duty to give you proper notice before they may sell the vehicle at auction or private sale. Essentially, before the finance company may sell the vehicle and then have the right to the unpaid balance, they must send you a proper notice of intent to sell or dispose and then perform the sale in a commercially reasonable manner. More details are in my repossession legal guide.

Once you have an idea of the substantive law regarding repossession from my legal guide, now you can review my blog on your options and the civil procedure for defending a debt collection lawsuit, in my “Next Steps” blog posting. That blog posting provides guidance on the defendant’s options when receiving a debt collection lawsuit and how much time is appropriate to avoid a default judgment, as some people confuse a hearing date with the due date for a proper, written response. Usually, the defendant has 30 days to file the defense papers in court from date of personal service by a process server.

To reduce the risk of losing and a money judgment entered against you, I’d recommend hiring an experienced consumer attorney who handles debt collection lawsuit defense. Most of these cases are settled or dismissed, once the consumer and his or her lawyer see what documents the debt collection law firm has or is missing. Sometimes the notice of intent was missing a required disclosure or the amounts were not correctly stated or the vehicle was not sold in a commercially reasonable manner. These are challenging arguments to present in court and not for the do-it-yourself types, even if you’ve been in a courtroom before.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Posted in DIY Lawsuit Defense, FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Repossession, Stop Collection Lawsuits | No Comments »

I was just served with a credit card collection lawsuit. Now what?

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Question: I stopped paying on my credit card a while back, because I was tired of paying a high interest rate and I did not have enough money to pay it all off. I sort of suspected that this debt would be sold to a debt collection agency for pennies on the dollar, but the papers are asking for me to pay the full balance, plus the high interest rate that I thought I was going to avoid. I contacted the company and they are holding firm on that number. I don’t have the money for this and my income is too high to qualify for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

My response:
First, please check out the short videos on my home page. The first video is a quick overview of all options that are possible to the situation of being served with a debt collection lawsuit. That will help you narrow down your options to the one or two that suit your situation and your own preferences. Your posting did not specify what bank had the original credit card or when you last paid it, which will help determine if they filed the lawsuit after the statute of limitations period had expired. That is very important in these cases and makes a big difference.

I’d then suggest reading my blog posting on the defendant’s Next Steps when the consumer has been sued in a debt collection lawsuit on a defaulted credit card. That blog explains how much time is appropriate to avoid a default judgment, as some people confuse a hearing date with the due date for a proper, written response. If you want to defend this lawsuit and have a good chance to settle for much less or possibly get the case dismissed, do not miss the deadline for filing a response or having a lawyer do this for you. It is usually 30 days from the date of being personally served, but please don’t wait for the last minute.

I don’t suggest that consumers or non-litigation attorneys try to handle the lawsuit defense for themselves, as I have seen too many people either pay way more than they should to settle with the debt collection law firm or they file papers with the court, which get stricken as being defective or improperly admit most or all of the debt collection lawsuit. Almost as bad, is when the debt collection lawyers press the case very hard against the defendant, using court procedures and formal discovery requests to overcome the defendant’s attempt to get the case to trial. I have some of these as PDFs on my website, in the Case Examples tab.

To avoid the risk of losing a money judgment for the full balance in the lawsuit plus accrued interest, I urge you to contact an experienced consumer attorney, who regularly handles debt collection lawsuit defense. An experienced attorney should be able to help negotiate a satisfactory settlement or get the case dismissed, depending on the admissible evidence that the debt collection law firm can obtain or not obtain.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Posted in DIY Lawsuit Defense, FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Service, Stop Collection Lawsuits | No Comments »

Living Paycheck to Paycheck, Debt Collector Wants Too Much to Settle

Monday, February 18th, 2013

Question: Like so many others in this economy, I can barely pay my current bills, so I had to stop paying the minimum on some of my credit cards. The phone calls and final notices for payment from the banks stopped about a year ago, but I just received a letter with a settlement offer from a debt collection company, which also says that I can dispute the debt within 30 days of receipt. What do you suggest? At the end of the month, there is still nothing left over, after regular expenses, living as cheap as we can. I cannot pay the settlement, but I am afraid their next move will be to sue me in court, like your website says. My wages are higher than the bankruptcy means test amount, so I need help.

My response:
As you know, you are not alone. Now, 41% of Americans live each week paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey by Allstate, covered in the LA Times Business/Money Section. After several months of no credit card payments, the bank charged off your account as a bad debt. A charge off is an accounting term to show that the debt is probably not collectable, so bank auditors will no longer allow this to be considered an asset of the institution.

At that point, the credit card bank reviewed its uncollectable accounts and sold many of them to a debt collection agency, known in the industry as a “debt buyer.” Either this debt collection agency or another debt collector is now contacting you to settle this debt, which now belongs to them. If you do not settle soon, they may refer the debt to a collection lawyer licensed in California, who will probably file a lawsuit in the Superior Court that covers where you live, if settlement arrangements are not made in writing. I explain the reasons in an article on my website, Understanding Why You Were Sued.

It can be less costly for the consumer to settle when no lawsuit has been filed and the lawyer has not been retained, because the debt buyer has not paid for those costs and fees. However, depending on the debt buyer’s policies, it still may be unaffordable or you may feel that they want too much to settle the debt, which did not cost them much to buy. Bear in mind, however, that if they sue you in court and win a money judgment, the amount will probably be the full balance on one of your last statements, plus accrued interest, court costs, and maybe attorney’s fees. The judgment may then appear on your credit reports and be secured as a lien on any real property (such as your home) by recording an abstract of judgment with the County Clerk or Recorder’s Office. There are numerous other ways that the collection agency’s lawyers can enforce this debt, such as by levying the consumer’s bank account and wage garnishment.

As painful as a settlement would be now, a worse alternative is having to pay this entire account plus interest and attorney’s fees on a money judgment that itself yields 10% interest per year and many costs can be added to the balance. By the same token, I would not accept any settlement offer that the consumer cannot ensure will be paid, exactly as promised. This would only put you in a worse position, as the discount that you negotiated in the settlement will be lost and the payments will merely be applied as credits towards the full balance due.

When agreeing to a debt collection settlement, you as the debtor should know that the collection agency will require you to acknowledge in writing the full balance due. If you miss one or more of the settlement payments, then they will have a much easier time enforcing in court the full unpaid amount of the debt. This would not limited by the settlement amount. This lawsuit would also not be limited by the fact that some debt buyers lack adequate documentation of their debts and it can challenging to obtain the full records for the account.

Your question also asked about a written dispute, because the debt collection letter states that you have the right to get it verified in writing or to dispute it. You may want to access the free consumer letters on my other web site, sample letter #1.1, which contains the language that I recommend for this purpose. Be prepared, however, for a simple letter back from the debt collection agency that says we have verified it. There are court cases that make this an adequate verification of the debt, so they can continue their collection efforts. I am not aware of potential harm from sending the dispute letter, but asking them to verify the debt in writing can make them more “aware” of you.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Collection Call from Out Of The Blue for a Credit Card Not Paid In Five Years

Saturday, February 2nd, 2013

Question: Is there any chance that I can be prosecuted for not paying credit card from five years ago? I have been clean and on probation and received a call out of the blue that they have sued me for $2000. Help, I need to stay out of jail. They said they would not dismiss until I make a large down payment and sign an agreement for monthly payment until paid in full, but I cannot afford this.

My Response:
I am very suspicious when a consumer gets phone calls from collectors from out of the blue. If I read your question correctly, you have not heard from these people, never received any collection letters from them, and you were not served with the summons and complaint. Though you did not pay this debt in almost five years, there are those debt collection agencies which prey on consumers for old debt that are expired, because of the statute of limitations.

In California, a debt not paid in more than four years is almost always past the statute of limitations, provided that a debt collection lawsuit was not filed within the correct limitations period for the particular account. Thus, the filing of an untimely lawsuit or threatening to sue you for an expired debt also violates the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) for harassment and misrepresentations. FDCPA violations can allow the consumer-victim to recover in court his or her actual damages, statutory damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.

Since you have not received anything in writing from this collection agency, please advise this collector that you need something in writing and to send you the required initial letter, which contains the mini-Miranda statement, required by the FDCPA, for initial contacts of a consumer regarding collection of a debt. Verify that they have your correct mailing address. I do not believe that you should give them your cell phone number or email address, to protect your privacy, but you regular mailing address should be fine. You really don’t want them to contact you in too many ways, regular mail and regular phone calls at home are more than sufficient.

Assuming that they did file a debt collection lawsuit within the proper statute of limitations period, you need to get a copy of the lawsuit and understand your options. The first video of my website’s home page is “Understanding Your Options” when sued on a credit card debt. Please watch my video and a few of my blog postings, such as “Next Steps,” which explains what steps to take and the timing involved, so that you will understand the deadlines that are coming up for you. Please consult with a debt collection defense attorney to ensure that you have covered your bases.

The short answer to your question about going to jail for a probation violation is that our society does not have “debtors prisons.” We did away with that at the time we founded this Country. I would want to review the terms of your probation, but it is doubtful that missing payments on a debt or being sued for an unpaid debt would violate probation. Also, I would not tell the debt collection agent about your probation, as it is none of their business. If you discuss this, I can assure you that they will make all sorts of statement to belittle you. If they threaten you with trying to use this to get you in trouble criminally, that may also be a violation of the FDCPA.

Until you verify whether or not a debt collection lawsuit has been filed, I would ask for the documentation of this lawsuit, the debt collection letter, and check with the court’s online to see if you can determine if the documentation is genuine. Also, reviewing your own personal credit reports may help yield information about this debt collection agency and if there are outstanding judgments against you. I have a legal guide on Avvo.com that help people navigate case information that they can get for free or almost free online. Otherwise, you may need to take a trip to the local Superior Courthouse to ask of any civil cases have been filed against you.

When a debt collection agency calls out of the blue, be ready to ask for everything in writing and refuse to give in to their demands for your credit card number or banking information so that they can take your money over the phone. Until you have verified everything, you don’t know if the person on the phone is a scam debt collector or worse: an identity thief, who will take your credit card number to charge your credit to the max and your bank account information to clean out your account. Also, don’t provide this person with your SSN, DOB or DLN. All of these are private and should not be disclosed by phone from someone who happens to call you, even if they appear to know so much about a particular debt or other credit information about you.

A regular debt collection agent will understand and want to ensure that you get the information verified and in writing. A scam artist or identity thief wants you to give them the money now, right now, without anything in writing. Do not give into high-pressure tactics and risk becoming another victim of identity theft or bogus debt collection operations, collecting on time-barred debts.  Verify everything and consult with a lawyer. You could be waiving many rights by agreeing to pay on a time-barred debt from a high-pressure phone call.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Posted in FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Harassment by Collectors, Identity Theft Protection, Stop Collection Lawsuits | No Comments »

DIY Collection Lawsuit Defense: Key Pitfalls

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Question: I am not attorney, but I want to represent myself in a debt collection lawsuit. What are the major pitfalls that I should study at the law library or online, so that I am ready to take the case to trial?

My response: There are so many books on the web that brag about having had one or two victories in court against debt collection lawyers. While I have gotten many collection cases dismissed for my clients and settled many others, when an individual expects to prevail in court on an unpaid debt, probably they have read too many web sites selling books and other materials that probably will do nothing, other than get a money judgment entered against them for the full balance, plus interest, costs and attorney’s fees.

Here are several of the major pitfalls, which is why it takes years of law school and experience defending debt collection cases, to really be able to have a sound strategy to help the client reach the outcome they desire for the case:
a. If the answer to complaint contains errors, the court may disregard it and enter a money judgment, if the Plaintiff’s attorney files a motion to strike or demurrer to the answer to complaint. Sometimes, the Defendant does not pay the court’s appearance fee.
b. The Plaintiff’s attorney sends written discovery to the Defendant or sets their deposition to answer questions under oath. If the defendant fails to respond timely and in proper form, the Plaintiff’s attorney can seek sanctions of more money or limit the important facts at trial.
c. The Plaintiff’s attorney can file a motion for summary judgment, which adds more costs to the case ($500). If granted, there is no trial, only a judgment.
d. The Plaintiff’s attorney can ask questions at trial of the Defendant, many of which might result in the court entering a judgment.
e. The court can set hearings and conferences that require both sides to attend. Missing these can cause the court to strike the answer to complaint.
f. The Plaintiff’s attorney offers evidence at trial that is hearsay or unreliable, but the defendant does not object properly or fails to explain why the evidence should be rejected, so the evidence is admitted and a money judgment entered.
g. The Defendant does not understand the rules that apply to the debt lawsuit, such as the Statute of Limitations, so they expend their efforts on incorrect views of the law and don’t pursue legitimate defenses that an experienced attorney would have found.

I have had many clients come to me after they try to represent themselves. They typically received papers from the Plaintiff’s attorney or from the court, but didn’t know how to respond, so that they are facing sanctions or have been sanctioned by the court for noncompliance. Or, even worse, a judgment has been entered at trial, but the defendant still believes that they should spend more time and money on an appeal.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

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Victim of Identity Theft Crime Has Default Judgment

Thursday, January 10th, 2013

Question: I was the victim of identity theft. A credit card collection company is now suing me on one of those debts and has a judgment in my name. I had nothing to do with it. This was not mine! I’ve contacted the collection lawyers and told them that this was not my debt and that it was identity theft. They have sent me an affidavit of fraud to fill out and return, but I find it little confusing and I am not sure what I should do about this lawsuit or what to expect.

My response:
I need to see the document that they sent you, the file from the court case, and your identity theft papers, such as a police report and FTC Identity Theft Complaint. With an estimated 10,000 identity theft crime rings around the country, it is not surprising that there are so many victims of identity theft, both consumers and small businesses. Here’s a link to the crime story on NBCNews.com.

Many identity theft victims end up being sued on the unpaid debt and a percentage of those debt collection lawsuits end up as default judgments. A default judgment can appear on the victim’s credit report and can result in attempts to garnish the victim’s wages and levy their bank account for the judgment amount plus interest. In particular, because the theft was perpetrated using an address that was not the victim’s correct address, the summons and complaint might be served at that address, so that the victim would have no idea that a lawsuit was filed and being pursued in court.

I have successfully set aside default judgments for lack of proper service and also default judgments against victims of identity theft. Properly defending a debt collection lawsuit or setting aside an invalid default judgment requires promptly taking action in the court case and documenting those efforts, so that the judge or the collection lawyers don’t challenge based on the defendant doing nothing after learning of the lawsuit or default judgment. I have discussed this subject in several other blog postings. I also have a list of steps to take for identity theft victims on Avvo.com.

If you have a police report documenting the crime and this account, as one of the false accounts obtained, then you can expect that the default judgment will be set aside and the case dismissed against you. Perhaps the collection agency will try to pursue the identity thief, but more likely they will not have the resources to learn their identity and whereabouts. Also, if the company learned from you that this was identity theft and continued to prosecute the case against you, then you may have recourse for damages and attorney’s fees, under California law and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. I’d suggest you retain experienced counsel to represent you, to reduce your frustration and ensure that the T’s are crossed and the I’s dotted.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer

Posted in default judgments, FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Identity Theft Protection | No Comments »

If I file a Really Good DIY Answer, Is it 50/50 that I Can Win at Trial?

Saturday, December 1st, 2012

Question:
I’ve read your web site and many law blogs. Now that I have all this information, I feel that I can file for myself the form answer in court, pay the fee to the clerk, then wait for trial to see what the judge does with my case, when I show up. The lawsuit is for under $6000 plus the collection complaint wants interest at 29% from November 2010, court costs, and attorney’s fees. Maybe I’ll get lucky and the judge will dismiss. One of the other web sites said that at trial, the judge will probably throw out the evidence, because they don’t have original documents. Is it really 50/50? Sound like a plan?

My response:
As the first video on my home page makes clear (home page link), representing yourself against the debt collection lawyers is one option. However, as stated in my blogs in the category DIY Lawsuit Defense, many people who try DIY Lawsuit Defense get picked off by the debt collection lawyers, who know the drill and are in the civil courts almost every day on debt collection cases.

I have had many people come to me, while trying to represent themselves. The common situations when the DIY consumer-defendant contacts me are: (a) they don’t know what to do with the interrogatories, document demands, and requests for admissions received from the Plaintiff’s lawyers; (b) they did not respond to something that they received or do not recall receiving it, so now the Plaintiff’s lawyers have filed papers with the court for sanctions (a form of penalty on a party who does not follow the rules), on top of the judgment for the unpaid debt; ( c) the Plaintiff’s lawyers filed papers in court to get a judgment, even though trial has not been scheduled or is months away; (d) the court granted a money judgment for the full amount, after appearing at the trial to do this DIY Lawsuit Defense.

Certainly, there are a small percentage of debt collection cases in which the Plaintiff’s lawyers dismiss, after the defendant has filed a valid response in court, to prevent the entry of a default judgment on the complaint, or the case is dismissed shortly before trial, because the Plaintiff does not have their evidence ready for trial. More likely, however, is the likelihood that if the Plaintiff’s lawyers receive the paperwork from a DIY consumer defendant, they will look for and exploit any weaknesses, given their considerable experience collecting from DIY consumers. In my experience, the consumer-defendant’s papers are almost always defective. Even if the consumer-defendant’s court papers are excellent, the consumer later makes other big mistakes, which result in entry of a full money judgment against them at or before trial.

What is the basis for those web sites that claim a DIY consumer can get their case dismissed at trial or even before? Do they have verifiable results, or is it merely anecdotal? How many money judgments do those web sites acknowledge are entered against people who try DIY Lawsuit Defense? Often, the web sites don’t rely on actual statistics, they make unsubstantiated claims or have only a handful of favorable results. When the dust clears, the DIY Lawsuit Defense typically yields to the plans of the plaintiff’s lawyers to get a money judgment against you, if you did not agree to the terms they proposed. Otherwise, the debt collection clients will be dissatisfied with poor results and hire other lawyers who will get better results.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

Posted in DIY Lawsuit Defense, FAQs Collection Lawsuits, Stop Collection Lawsuits | No Comments »

Virtual Law Firm Prepared Legal Papers for Debtor Pro Per, Money Judgment Now Imminent

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

Question:
I found an attorney online and used my only good credit card to have his firm prepare and file the legal forms for me to prevent a default judgment in Superior Court. This was a lawsuit on an old credit card which hired debt collection lawyers in San Diego, California. I read that the collection agency paid pennies on the dollar for my account.  My attorney said they did great paperwork, and that I can handle the rest of this myself, since their papers were so thorough, and that I should win a dismissal at trial.   Now the collection lawyers filed papers for a full money judgment, plus they want their attorney’s fees, too.  I don’t know how to respond to this and my lawyer now wants more money to prepare the papers, otherwise it will become a money judgment. No trial, just a judgment. This is very upsetting and no one told me this might happen and now I may need to explain this to the judge.  Help!

My response:
Virtual law firms preparing legal papers, without representing the debtor consumer, is a new low for lawyers.  In my 19 years as a lawyer, I understand why you should be upset. Lawyers are supposed to take responsibility for handling the case, not dump a bunch of papers onto their client without any guidance.  When a lawyer prepare the legal forms for someone as a “pro per,” then the client is 100% responsible for what happens next and for dealing with the debt collection lawyers and their debt collectors.

Did you know that the collection lawyers still call you and file papers in court to get a money judgment without trial?  Who would be comfortable with that. If you have a lawyer on the case, then you should not need to deal with debt collection calls. Filing the initial papers and sending some written requests is the tip of the iceberg, it does not win the case, without an attorney backing up those documents with actual, legal representation and efforts.

Also, what happens if the case goes to trial?  Do you know how to object to improper evidence, when to object, and what are proper objections? These are legal skills that lawyers take years to develop, even after several years studying at law school and passing the bar exam. I have read trial transcripts of a debtor who represented himself at trial, and he objected at all the wrong times and did not object to the evidence that resulted in a full money judgment against him.

I agree with you. Filing the documents for you and then leaving you to defend this lawsuit is shocking. Perhaps I am too old school, but if a judgment for the debt is entered against you, then I don’t see how this lawyer helped one bit. They charged you money and gave you some sheets of paper that looked really nice, but now you must hire an attorney to see if the case can be salvaged, before the court enters a judgment for the full balance against you. You should call me or another experienced lawyer to oppose this motion and take the immediate steps, before the trial date and to prepare for trial.

Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
Twitter @RStempler

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