Georgia Debt-Collection Firm Accused of Filing 350,000 Lawsuits

A story broke recently about a Georgia law firm which filed over 350,000 lawsuits over the last four years. The lawsuits were collection efforts against consumers, many of whom may not actually owe debts or owe less than the amounts claimed. The government has filed a complaint against the firm alleging, “…in Georgia alone, the Firm sued about 78,000 consumers in 2009; about 84,000 in 2010; about 71,000 in 2011; about 57,000 in 2012; and about 60,000 in 2013. In sum, the Firm filed more than 350,000 collection suits from 2009 through 2013.” The firm denies the allegations.

It was reported that roughly 40,000 of the 350,000 suits were dismissed when challenged in court. It was also noted that consumers who retained attorneys were almost four times more likely to get their cases dismissed.

The amount of collection lawsuits filed has increased dramatically over the last number of years. A recent survey estimated that 1 in 3 adults with a credit history -- or 77 million people -- are so far behind on some of their debt payments that their account has been put "in collections." Click the link below to read more on that study:

http://money.cnn.com/2014/07/29/pf/debt-collections/index.html?iid=HP_LN&hpt=hp_t2

Identity theft has also been on the rise. We have all heard in the news the major data breaches at Target and Mapco recently. One of the best methods you can take to make sure your identity has not been stolen is to monitor your credit reports monthly through a variety of services offered.

Booth Samuels handles identity theft cases. If you have been the victim of identity theft, call 1-866-515-8880 or email him directly at booths@pittmandutton.com.