By: Robert J. Nahoum Infamous debt collection law-firm Kirschenbaum & Phillips, PC was bench slapped by Federal District Court Judge Eric N. Vitaliano for its “sloppiness and inattention to rules and detail” in a scathing opinion issued by the Court. The matter entitled Rivero v. Kirschenbaum & Phillips, PC, was filed in United States District Court, Eastern District of New […]
Kirschenbaum & Phillips, PC – Sloppy and Noncompliant
Is Sewer Service an FDCPA Violation?
By: Robert J. Nahoum THE PROBLEM The cashier at the grocery store rings you up, you swipe your debit card and embarrassingly, the cashier tells you that your card is no good. You call your bank and are told that your bank account has been frozen. How can this have happened? Turns out, you were sued by a debt collector, […]
Does the FDCPA Cover Personal Guarantees of Business Debt?
By: Robert J. Nahoum Federal debt collection laws, known as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA for short), regulates the conduct of third party debt collectors. The FDCPA generally prohibits debt collectors from using abusive debt collection tactics that are false, misleading and harassing. If a debt collector violates the FDCPA, you can sue for statutory damages up to […]
Midland Funding and Portfolio Recovery Settle Wrongful Debt Collection Claims With the CFPB
By: Robert J. Nahoum THE PROBLEM: On September 9, 2015, government watchdog the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it had reached a settlement with infamous debt buyers Midland Funding and Portfolio Recovery over illegal debt collection practices. According to a statement released by the CFPB: “Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against the nation’s two largest […]
What is an FDCPA Venue Violation?
By: Robert J. Nahoum THE PROBLEM: Debt collectors usually sue consumers in the courts where the consumer lives. This is true because the law requires. However, from time-to-time, there are debt collection lawyers out there that file suits in locations other than where the consumer lives to suit its own needs. This is not allowed. The Rule: In legal jargon, […]
Does the FDCPA Cover Money Owed to the Government?
By: Robert J. Nahoum THE PROBLEM: You’ve been getting endless debt collection calls from a debt collection agency trying to collect a government resulting from a speeding ticket, a housing code violation, a criminal fine or even an overdue library book penalty. The debt collector has been harassing you with incessant calls, false threats and misleading information. Can you sue […]
Why Original Creditors Won’t Talk to You About Your Debt?
By: Robert J. Nahoum Consumers sued in debt collection cases often find themselves up against companies they have never heard of. Names like Midland Funding, LVNV Funding, CACH LLC, New Century Financial Services, Portfolio Recovery Associates, Unifund and Calvary Portfolio Services. The reason you’ve never heard of these companies is because, while you’ve never done business with them, they’re doing […]
What is a Class Action Consumer Lawsuit?
By: Robert J. Nahoum Consumer lawyers are, as the name implies, lawyers who focus their practices on consumer issues. What are consumer issues? Consumer issues are those legal issues that arise when regular people (as opposed to businesses) go out into the market place to buy goods or services. For example – buying a car, getting a mortgage to buy […]
How to Tell the Legitimate Debt Collectors from the Frauds
By: Robert J. Nahoum Anyone who has ever dealt with a debt collectors knows how invasive and annoying they can be. The phone rings incessantly and the letters in the mail never seem to stop. Sometimes debt collectors cross the line between aggressive debt collection and harassment. When they do cross that line, Federal consumer protection laws step in to […]
What Does it Mean to be “Sent to Collections”?
By: Robert J. Nahoum I have often heard consumers tell me that they have been “sent to collections†or that a creditor has threatened that if a payment is not made, he or she will be “sent to collectionsâ€?  I think at one time or another we’ve all heard this threat but what exactly does it mean? What happens at […]