Florida Credit Card Lawsuits
Tampa | St. Petersburg | Clearwater | Bradenton
Life happens!
From unemployment to unexpected medical expenses to divorce, sometimes debts pile up even as we’re trying to keep them under control. If you have fallen behind in your credit card payments and have stopped responding to your creditors, you may have received notification that you’re being sued by a debt collection or credit card company. These companies often use threatening and intimidating language in their correspondence, causing many consumers to use their retirement funds or sell personal items to pay what is being demanded by aggressive bill collectors.
STOP THE INSANITY!
You don’t have to be a victim of debt collection bullies! They count on the fact that you’ll just pay what they say you owe to avoid a lawsuit and make it all go away. But here’s the thing: their allegations aren’t always accurate! We can analyze your case and determine if we can reduce or eliminate the debt they say you owe, potentially saving you thousands of dollars.
Tampa/St Petersburg/Clearwater is among the top areas for fraud complaints in Florida.
Junk Debt Buyers
If you’ve received notice that you’re being sued by a company you’ve never heard of before, then you may have been sued by a
so-called “junk debt buyer,” or JDB. These JDBs buy old debt that has already been written off by the original credit card company and the JDB is attempting to collect the debt as their own.
Some of the more popular JDBs we see in Florida include
- CACH
- Cavalry SPF
- LVNV
- Midland Funding
- Portfolio Associates
These third-party organizations buy the debt for pennies on the dollar, then sue the debtor (you), hoping to collect the full amount or at
least a significant portion of it. What’s more, these companies often use illegal collection methods to recover the amount owed.
Many people either pay the amount that is claimed they owe, or they simply ignore the lawsuit (which is never a good idea!). If you don’t appear in court, the court may (and usually will) enter a “default” against you, meaning that you’ve lost the case and you owe the full amount of the amount claimed by the company suing you. Once that company has a default judgment against you, they can:
- Take property you have
- Place a lien on your home
- Seize the contents of your bank accounts
- Garnish your wages
Don’t let them win by default!!!
If you give us the opportunity, Castagliuolo Law, P.A. can perform a comprehensive analysis and determine how we can best help you deal with the lawsuit. And of course, if you don’t call us, then we can’t help you. Don’t let this happen!!
Tampa Bay Credit Card Lawsuit Defense
A strong defense is critical in debt-collection lawsuits. The reasons you fell behind or cannot pay your debt are not elements of a good strategy. We have several defense options available:
- Statute of Limitations
- Dispute the Debt Amount
- Improper Service
- Identity Theft or Mistaken Identity
- Authorized User
- Missing Payment
- Lack of Standing
- License Number Omission
- Not a Licensed Debt Collector
- Bankruptcy
Know Your Rights
As a consumer, you may not know the law and understand your rights, but we do! Call 727-712-3333 for a free case review. Take steps to defend yourself from debt collectors trampling on your consumer rights by consulting us. Do it today!
