By: Robert J. Nahoum Infamous debt buyer Midland Funding, LLC files thousands and thousands of debt collection cases in New York every year. Midland and its attorneys are often accused of being sloppy in how they handle such a high volume of cases. One recent case in Wayne County New York illustrates this sloppiness. Midland had first filed a consumer […]
Midland Funding Ran Out the Clock on a New York Debt Collection Case
A Tremendous Victory for New York Debt Collection Scheme Victims
By: Robert J. Nahoum As reported in the NY Times on Friday, November 13, 2015, a class of approximately 355,000 New York consumers victimized by the fraudulent debt collection practice of sewer service will receive $59 million in a class-action settlement that also bars a major network of debt collectors from continuing the unlawful practice. The settlement involves a network […]
Midland Funding Case Stricken from Court Calendar for Failure of Evidence
By: Robert J. Nahoum It is common knowledge among debt collection attorneys (both plaintiffs and defendants) that debt buyers lack the evidence needed to prove their cases. Nevertheless, debt collectors win these cases because of defaults by the consumers and the costs of litigation. Judge Ignatius L. Muscarella of the First District Court of Nassau County was having none of […]
Mel Harris & Associates Is Out of Business
By: Robert J. Nahoum Embattled New York debt collection law firm Mel Harris & Associates has closed its doors forever. Through its harassing and abusive debt collection tactics, Mel Harris & Associates has disrupted the lives of tens of thousands of New York consumers for years. Â Well, it appears the chickens finally came home to roost. Mel Harris & Associates […]
Can a Debt Collector Levy on my Security Deposit?
By: Robert J. Nahoum THE PROBLEM You were sued by a debt collector on an old credit card debt and the debt collector has been awarded a default judgment by the court. You just heard from your landlord and he tells you that he received instructions from the debt collector to freeze your security deposit. Can the debt collector do […]
What is the Marshal and a Sheriff’s “Poundage” in a NY Debt Collection Lawsuit?
By: Robert J. Nahoum When a money judgment has been entered against a debtor in a New York debt collection lawsuit, the New York City Marshal (or County Sheriff outside of New York City) is typically engaged to assist the debt collection lawyer in enforcing the judgment.  The Marshal or Sheriff is the court’s civil enforcement officer and has the […]
What is the Difference Between a Marshal and a Sheriff in a NY Debt Collection Lawsuit?
By: Robert J. Nahoum Partial victory for a debt collector in a New York debt collection lawsuit is the award of a judgment. A judgment is a decree from the court, reduced to a piece of papers, stating that the debt collector has won the lawsuit and is entitled to a certain amount of money from the debtor. Â More than […]
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, […]
What is “Account Stated” in a Debt Collection Lawsuit?
By: Robert J. Nahoum THE PROBLEM Anyone who has been sued for an old debt will tell you that the process can be terribly confusing. The court papers used by the debt collectors are filled with legal jargon that makes little if any sense to non-lawyers. Debt collectors are always – 100% percent of the time – represented by attorneys […]
What is a New York Transcript of Judgment?
By: Robert J. Nahoum If you’ve been sued and a debt collector and a judgment has been against you, that judgment allows the debt collector to garnishee wages , freeze your bank accounts and levy on your non-exempt property including your home or other real property. In New York, the lien on real property is a passive method for enforcing […]