Debt Defense

Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, for the Lord will take up their case and will exact life for life. Proverbs 22:22-23 (NIV)

The Russo Law Firms specializes in personal injury litigation; however, we find great enjoyment in helping and protecting the people of our community from unsavory businesses and third party debt collectors. Established Florida and Federal laws have been created, which greatly protect the consumer from unfair and deceptive business practices. The problem is that most people are unaware of their rights.

Credit Card Debt Lawsuit Defense

We at The Russo Law Firm specialize in third party credit card debt defense. The combination of exorbitant consumer debt, poor lending practices and an increase in internet scams has led to a boom in the credit collection and debt buying industry. These collection companies buy unpaid debts for pennies on the dollar and then try to collect the entire amount owed by the person in debt (debtor). As a business decision many times the debt buyer fails to obtain the necessary paperwork to actually prove the elements of the lawsuits filed against thousands of consumers. In certain situations we have shown that the debt collectors knew that the amount the collector claimed owed was inflated and nowhere close to being the accurate amount actually owed. We have successfully handled over 350 debt collection cases, prevailed at trial and have successfully eliminated over 2 million dollars of consumer credit card debt.

Creditor Harassment

While there are a few reputable collection agencies that actually follow the law, many of these collection agencies use illegal and fraudulent practices to collect from innocent people. These collection agencies will bully and harass debtors in order to try to scare and humiliate the debtor into paying the alleged debt. Such tactics are abusive and illegal. Both Florida and Federal laws have been created to protect debtors from such harassment and abuse. The problem is that most Americans do not know their rights. The collection companies know this and as a result they make millions of dollars by ignoring the state and federal laws.

An example of a deceptive and unfair collection practice is collection harassment. Once you advise a debt collector to stop contacting you about a debt that is in dispute and inform the agency or representative that your are represented by an attorney, the collection agency is required to cease all direct communications with you. If the collector continues to contact you directly, then you could be entitled to a $1000.00 statutory fee.

The Laws and Statutes that are set up to protect you often require you to file certain paper work within a limited window of time and therefore it is recommend that you take action and do not delay. Once the statutes of limitations expires for your creditor harassment claim your ability to make any recovery is prohibited.