By: Robert J. Nahoum So you’ve just been served with a summons and complaint in a debt collection lawsuit. Now what do you do? By some estimates, 95% of debt collection lawsuits are won by default. Often, the consumer failed to answer because he or she had no idea the suit had even been filed. But the remaining consumers default for […]
How To Answer a Summons and Complaint in a Debt Collection Lawsuit
Help, My Wages Are Being Garnisheed!
By: Robert J. Nahoum In New York, one of the most effective ways for a debt collector to collect on a judgment is to garnishee your wages. While the debt collector can only recover 10% of your wages, he hopes that he can shame and embarrass you into paying more before your employer finds out. Importantly, you must first understand that […]
Dirty Little Debt Collection Secrets
By: Robert J. Nahoum Once upon a time, as a fresh-faced lawyer right out of law school, I worked as a debt collection attorney. Fortunately, not long after I found some religion and flipped – I am now (and have been for some time) committed to protecting consumer against debt collectors. So, with that background I am going to let a […]
Debt Collection Lawyers Are Liars
By:Â Robert J. Nahoum Q: How can a pregnant woman tell that she’s carrying a future lawyer? A: She has an uncontrollable craving for bologna. Q: How does an attorney sleep? A: First he lies on one side, then he lies on the other. Q: What’s the difference between a lawyer and a liar? A: The pronunciation. Q: How can you […]
How Do You Stop Debt Collector Harassment?
By: Robert J. Nahoum One of the most prolific strategies used by those damn debt collectors is to annoy and harass the consumer into paying. They call you over and over again until you cry uncle and make a payment. Sometimes it feels like every time you pick up the phone it’s that damn debt collector again on the other end. […]
Can a Debt Collector Leave Me a Voicemail Message?
By:Â Robert J. Nahoum Have you recently received strange voicemail messages from debt collectors that start off with all kinds of warnings about not listening to the message? They go something like this: “This message is for Joe Shmoe, if this is not Joe Shmoe please hang up. Â This is a private message for Joe Shmoe, you have 5 seconds to […]
Brand New Cars Can Be Lemons Too
By: Robert J. Nahoum Is there any consumer purchase more intimidating then buying a new car? You enter the show room and read those signs in the windows of the cars about fuel mileage, the number of cylinders, the suggested retail price and of course the warranty.  But how could you ever know if that warranty is sufficient to protect you. […]
Buy a Used Lemon?
By:Â Robert J. Nahoum In these days of belt tightening and budget cutting more and more people are foregoing bright shiny new cars for ones perhaps a little less new and with a bit less luster. Â Here in New York, I am seeing measurably more older cars on the road then I have before. Â But delving into the used car market […]
How Will An FDCPA Claim Help My Credit?
By:Â Robert J. Nahoum Often the best ideas for blogs come directly from questions my clients ask me. Recently, I had a Hudson Valley client for whom we are pursuing debt collection law violations ask how pursuit of those claims might help to improve his credit score. Initially, I was thrilled that he was concerned with his credit and thinking into […]
Have You Been Sued on a Time Barred Debt?
By:Â Robert J. Nahoum Among the worst debt collector tricks is suing on time-barred debts. I find this trick particularly dirty because it requires not only the debt buyer, but the collection agency and their attorneys to collude and contribute to this clear consumer protection violation. These days, consumer debt buying is a thriving $100 billion a year industry. Debt buyers […]