Connecticut Consumer Protection Lawyers
There are a variety of laws that control the enforcement of debt obligations, collection methods, and the state court judicial process.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”) is intended to protect consumers from illegal acts by collection agencies seeking to collect on behalf of creditors. The rules are somewhat complicated, but they are enforceable through the State Court located in the county in which you reside. These laws provide for financial awards to consumers who can prove violations of the FDCPA. Collectors often violate these laws but are not often held accountable by consumers who don’t know the laws or how to enforce them. If you feel that your rights may have been violated, seek the opinion of an experienced attorney who knows how to stop abusive practices and win awards for you through the state court system.
Don’t be afraid to assert your legal rights.
Collection Actions start with the filing of a Complaint in the State of Connecticut Court system in the county in which the borrower resides. These suits can be very scary to the average person, and many people don’t respond or answer the Complaint. Failure to respond can have very bad results. The Court collection process is quick and even suits that are entirely incorrect can lead to judgments against you if you don’t respond. Very often, collection attorneys win default judgments even if the allegations and amounts are incorrect, simply because borrowers “freeze” and don’t respond. These default judgments can result in permanent orders against you within the additional amounts owed for legal fees, costs and continuing interest, even after the Court judgment.
Once a collection matter has gone to judgment, the creditors can levy your bank accounts, attach your pay, or lien your home. This can cause financial problems to become quickly uncontrollable. Don’t fail to respond! Lawsuits can be resolved and successfully defended if you take the time to give the matter proper attention and seek immediate legal advice. Judges rule to protect consumer borrowers who properly appear in Court and don’t allow creditors to win by default. Even if the debt and the amount are valid, properly represented borrowers are granted liberal payment plans by often sympathetic State Court judges.
A lawsuit is a final warning sign that you need to seek professional help. Don’t let a suit against you go unaddressed or ignored. Get experienced help to avoid the dangers that can result from losing Court judgments.
The Federal Court system can also provide answers for families in debt through the bankruptcy protection. These laws favor debtors seeking a financial fresh start. The bankruptcy system can protect your assets and your future source of income, even if creditors have already won State Court judgments against you.
Creditors and collectors seem to have become emboldened when trying to collect on debts. They are willing to collect through harassment and illegal practices. Numerous state and federal laws protect you from illegal creditor harassment, but it takes an aggressive and knowledgeable lawyer to enforce them on your behalf. We work hard to protect Connecticut residents under federal and state law.
We can protect you from creditors and other debt collectors today. Our law firm can put a stop to the harassing actions of collectors and even file lawsuits against those who violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and various other laws that entitle you to protection from illegal phone calls and creditor harassment. If your rights have been violated, you might have a case for strong legal action.
Creditor harassment often entitles you to bring suit and make a claim for monetary damages to you and other related parties.
Creditors routinely violate laws in place for your protection, but there is a way to prevent this illegal activity and fight back. If your rights have been violated, we can prevent the violations from recurring and take strong legal action to make creditors pay you for their illegal activities.
Take Legal Action Against Abusive Debt Collection Agency
Phone calls and demanding letters are one thing. Continual harassment at work, home and on your cellphone, calls to neighbors or family members, intimidation, threats, misrepresentation of information and many other common harassment actions are illegal. Through suit brought by experienced counsel, you may be entitled to payment for damages and abuse.
Federal Laws and State Laws for Your Protection:
- FDCPA: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
- Telecommunications Act
- FCRA: Fair Credit Reporting Act
- RESPA: Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act
- CUTPA: Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act
At The Law Offices of Neil Crane, we know how to make these legal protections work for you, and we are immediately available by telephone or for a free consultation. Take action against illegal harassment and call us today at 203-230-2233.
Taking action against debt collectors who have violated the FDCPA and abused your rights requires an understanding of the applicable laws. Our experience and knowledge of the proper laws can guide your case with ease, end harassment and abuse, and even seek compensation for losses and hardship brought on by illegal debt collection practices.
A list of other actions debt collectors cannot take against you includes:
- Contacting your neighbors about your debt
- Contacting your family members about your debt
- Contacting your employer about your debt
- Calling you every day until debts are paid
- Leaving unlimited voicemail on your phone
- Contacting you at unreasonable hours of the day or night
- Threatening to garnish more wages than allowable under federal law or state law
- Threatening to garnish wages or levy a bank account without using proper legal channels
- Threatening lawsuits, where no suit is intended
- Selling your debt to another company to continue collection on a time-barred debt
- Failing to provide prompt written evidence of a valid debt
- Contacting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about your alien status
- Filing or threatening to file a criminal bad check charge on a post-dated check
State and Federal Laws Enacted for Your Consumer Protection
FDCPA: Fair Debt Collections Practice Act
This federal law protects the consumer from third-party collection agencies that employ harassing or abusive practices. Under this act, collectors are limited to what they can say, when and to whom they can say it. Collection agencies are not allowed to discuss your debt with anyone else and are not allowed to harass your family, friends or your employer. Collection agencies can be held liable for damages and attorney fees if they violate this law.
The Federal Trade Commission is a government agency responsible for “protecting America’s consumers.” This government agency is charged with overseeing enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), designed to “prohibit abusive practices by debt collectors.” Under this law, third-party collection agencies are very specifically disallowed from harassing consumers. This continuing improper behavior is often illegal and can entitle you to a lawsuit and award for damages.
What does this mean to you if you were illegally targeted by debt collectors in any of the following ways?
- They sought communication with you at “any unusual time or place or a time or place known or which should be known to be inconvenient to the consumer.” In particular, the law specifies that debt collectors should not contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
- They have sought to communicate with you about a debt despite the fact that “the debt collector knows the consumer is represented by an attorney with respect to such debt.”
- They used threatening, obscene or profane language with you.
- They used illegal threats such as warrants, arrest, prison, liens against your house, pay, or bank account, embarrassment or other coercion.
- They discussed your debt with others.
- They harassed your family, friends or employer or discussed your debt with them.
- Their communications with you included false representations — for example, falsely claiming to be affiliated with the U.S. government.
- They engaged in unfair debt collection practices such as asking you for a postdated check and then depositing that check before the date in question.
- They failed to confirm with you, within five days of contacting you, all key details of a debt.
- They entrapped you with deceptive collection forms.
For one thing, collection agencies can be held liable for damages and attorney fees if they violate this law. The Law Offices of Neil Crane, LLC, fights creditor harassment. We recommend that you take advantage of our offer of a free initial consultation if you suspect that a debt collector has broken the law in dealings with you.
Telecommunication Act
This federal law protects consumers from automated collection calls or “auto-dialers” and limits your creditors’ ability to contact you on your cellphone without permission. If you are receiving calls on your cellphone and have not provided your cellphone number to the creditor, it is likely that your creditor is violating the Telecommunication Act. Under this law, you may be awarded up to $500 per call as damages for violation of the Telecommunications Act.
FCRA: Fair Credit Reporting Act
This federal law protects consumers from unfair credit reporting. Under this law, the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Transunion and Equifax) are required to take affirmative steps to correct all disputes or allegations of misinformation on your credit report. FCRA mandates that the credit bureaus must ensure the accuracy of your account. The bureaus can be held liable for damages and attorney fees if they misrepresent information on your credit report.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was enacted in 1970 “to promote accuracy, fairness, and the privacy of personal information assembled by Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs)” (Source: Epic.org). This law provides consumers and their lawyers with a wealth of significant legal precedents that experienced attorneys can use to enforce your rights. In addition, numerous court cases involving enforcement of this law have provided consumers and their attorneys with a significant amount of legal precedents that can be very useful in new court cases.
Specifically, consumer-protecting provisions of the FCRA include the following:
- The three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) are required to take affirmative steps to correct all disputes or allegations of misinformation on your credit report.
- They must ensure the accuracy of your account.
Were You Harmed By Violations Of The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)?
The lawyers at The Law Offices of Neil Crane have the experience necessary to protect your rights under the FCRA. If you have been mistreated — and harmed — by violations of the FCRA by a credit bureau, you should know that your rights include the right to sue. The credit bureaus may be held liable for damages and attorney fees if they misrepresent information on your credit report. If you think your rights have been violated, email us or call us and speak directly with an experienced attorney today.
RESPA: Real Estate Settlement Procedure Act
This federal law protects homebuyers from unscrupulous brokers and mortgage companies. Banks must follow the guidelines set out under this federal law with respect to all mortgages and accountings of the debt. It makes for full disclosure of all fees and costs. If improper disclosure and mishandling of the homeowner’s debt occur, the homeowner may be awarded damages and attorney fees. Banks may also be held responsible for punitive damages.
CUTPA: Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act
This statute provides state remedies for individuals who have been the victim of unfair and/or deceptive practices by any company conducting business in the state of Connecticut. Under this state statute, the courts have the authority to hand down both punitive and injunctive relief, along with all reasonable attorneys fees.
The Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) “allows the Commissioner of Consumer Protection to legally pursue persons or businesses who have used unfair or deceptive trade practices with consumers,” in the words of the Department of Consumer Protection of the State of Connecticut.
A core tenet of this law is found in Section 42-110b: “No person shall engage in unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce.” Examples of unfair methods, acts and practices that have emerged through past cases have included:
- Sale of consumer goods at an unconscionable purchase price to a consumer having unequal bargaining power
- Refusal to sell and install goods at price originally quoted, causing “ascertainable loss” to the consumer
- Representing that work will be performed by an expert subcontractor while knowing that the work will be performed by a different subcontractor not of the same quality
- Failing to disclose to a customer that the customer will be required to pay undisclosed or additional fees
This state law awards for actual damages, monetary penalties and attorney’s fees.
These laws were enacted for your protection and you should seek our knowledge in using them for your protection from creditor harassment and telephone calls, and improper credit reporting.
Our founding attorney, Neil Crane, is a renowned Connecticut bankruptcy lawyer. He often takes clients on referrals from advocacy groups and attorneys who recommend him as a Hartford bankruptcy attorney with the in-depth knowledge and experience necessary to help people get the best possible results in difficult financial situations.
Call for a Free Consultation With a Connecticut Debt Relief Professional
At The Law Offices of Neil Crane, LLC, we protect the rights of individuals, families and businesses throughout the state of Connecticut. Debt collectors do not have the freedom to take any action they want to get you to pay debts. Through our knowledge of consumer protection laws and the Chapter 7, 11 or 13 bankruptcy filing process, we can stop creditor harassment and stop levies, attachments, wage garnishments and lawsuits. But we will take your case even further if we find evidence that a debt collector broke the law trying to collect debt from you.
We have helped thousands of Connecticut families put an end to aggressive bill collection actions. We are ready to help you find a plan to suit your needs. Contact our Connecticut creditor harassment professionals online or call at 203-230-2233 to schedule a free initial consultation at any of our five Connecticut locations.