A young woman had recently completed a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Plan. After making payments into the Bankruptcy Court for a number of years and receiving discharge of her debt, she was eager to refinance her home due to a drop in interest rates. When applying for a loan, she realized that several creditors and collection agencies were listing old discharged debts on her credit reports as due and owing. This effectively barred her from obtaining a mortgage at a competitive rate. After disputing these accounts with the Transunion, Equifax and Experian with limited success, Greenberg Minasian filed an action on her behalf in Federal Court against 18 separate Defendants. The Defendants corrected her credit report and settled her claim for an amount which compensated her for her financial lost in failure to obtain a lower interest rate on her mortgage, as well as her costs and counsel fees. The settlements were obtained via a confidentiality agreement and the amounts cannot be disclosed.
Greenberg Minasian, LLC was recently approached by an individual who received a call from a debt collector. The debt collector indicated that a bill was owed for a rental vehicle and if the bill was not paid immediately, the debt collector would “mess up his credit.” The client was unaware that he owed any such bill and asked for some written verification that the debt. Rather than provide proof of the debt, the debt collector merely threatened litigation and threatened to negatively impact his credit score. Concerned as to how this alleged bill would affect his credit score, he was tempted to pay the bill even though he was fairly sure that it was not owed.
However, he contacted Greenberg Minasian, who immediately filed suit. The debt collector was unable to establish that the debt was owed. Not only was the client relieved of any debt, but the debt collector was forced to pay money damages for various violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The money Greenberg Minasian recovered for the client included payments for the client’s emotional distress, as well as reimbursement of all of his costs and attorney’s fees. Because the settlement agreement included a confidentiality agreement neither the amount of the settlement nor name of the parties can be disclosed.
Greenberg Minasian has filed numerous actions on behalf of individuals who have been harassed by debt collectors for debts they do not owe, debts that were discharged in bankruptcy or for debt that were owed but the debt collector engaged in tactics which violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Through litigation, Greenberg Minasian has been able to force these Defendants to cease engaging in these wrongful actions, as well as compensate their clients for their damages.