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If you are one of the thousands of consumers that is facing overwhelming credit card debt, it may be time to consider filing a personal bankruptcy case. Filing a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 can allow you to eliminate or discharge your credit card debt and obtain a fresh financial start.

Other options besides bankruptcy

However, if filing for bankruptcy protection is not an option for you and collection lawsuits are being filed against you, it is important to confer with an experienced attorney regarding the defenses that may be available to you. Below are a few defenses to a collection lawsuit that might be available to you:

 

  • Improper service. If you are not validly served with the summons and complaint, you have an effective defense (if timely alleged).
  • Statute of Limitations. The plaintiff seeking a monetary judgment against you must file the lawsuit by a certain deadline or it is time barred. You have a defense if the debt has gone “stale” and the creditor has lost its right to sue you to collect it.
  • Improper plaintiff. The party suing you must have the right to sue you. In other words, the plaintiff must be owner of your debt. This means that if your account was sold to a collection agent and the original creditor failed to properly transfer the documentation evidencing your debt, it may be possible to get the suit against you dismissed.
  • Wrong defendant. If you can prove that you did not incur the debt and that it does not belong to you, the court may dismiss the lawsuit.
  • Debt discharged. If you filed a prior personal Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 case and included the debt in your filing, proving the debt was discharged will prevent the creditor from proceeding with the lawsuit against you to collect it.
  • Identity theft. If the debt was incurred as a result of you being the victim of identity fraud, it is a valid defense to the lawsuit.
  • Accounting errors. You may have a partial or full defense if the plaintiff failed to correctly credit your account with payments or made some other accounting errors.
  • Unlawful debt collection. If the plaintiff used illegal debt collection practices against you, we can help you allege a counterclaim in the lawsuit. This means that you file a claim against the plaintiff seeking money damages which can be used to offset the amount you owe the plaintiff.

If you are interested in learning whether one or more of the above defenses are available to you, please contact us to schedule an appointment. Our office is located in Melbourne, but we proudly serve individuals and businesses across the State of Florida.

The information on this blog or any blog is not intended as, and should not be taken as, legal advice.

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