Determined Tennessee Attorney Helps Clients Stop Creditor Harassment
Committed Knoxville lawyer takes action against aggressive debt collectors
Owing money to a company or person does not give them the right to bully you. When you brace yourself to face beratement about your debt every time you open your mailbox or hear your phone ring, you may be dealing with creditor harassment. At William E. Maddox, Jr. LLC, Attorney at Law in Knoxville, I advise Tennessee residents who are targets of unlawful debt collection practices. I go after creditors who use illegal methods in their attempts to collect payment, and I devise individualized plans to help clients resolve their debt issues.
Accomplished Knox County law firm fights unlawful debt collection efforts
A debt collector is a third-party organization or individual hired by a creditor. The sole goal of the debt collector is to convince a person who owes money to the creditor to pay their past due debt. A mortgage lender, credit card company, medical establishment or other party may hire a debt collector to handle the tasks of collecting on past due bills.
The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that prohibits debt collectors from engaging in certain practices when attempting to get people to pay their unpaid bills. Under the FDCPA, debtors have certain rights that must be respected.
A debt collector may not:
- Contact you between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. without permission
- Contact you at a time or place known to be inconvenient to you
- Contact you when they know you are represented by an attorney
- Reveal information about your debt to anyone other than your spouse without permission
- Contact you at your place of employment if you tell them not to
- Threaten to sue without intending to make good on the threat
- Threaten violence or other retribution for not paying the debt
- Use profanities or obscenities in their contact with you
- Lie to you
Within five days of first contacting you, a debt collector must send you a written validation notice with full details of your debt and how to dispute it.
Creditor harassment occurs in many different ways. Continual phone calls to the debtor or their friends and family members may qualify as harassment. Attempts at blackmail or publicly shaming the debtor are also harassment. A debt collector who violates the FDCPA and commits creditor harassment can be sued by the debtor(s) they harassed. A debtor may be able to collect damages for harm inflicted by the collector.
Obtaining legal representation is a proactive way to stop creditor harassment. As your attorney, I can push back against aggressive and inappropriate debt collection methods, field contact from debt collectors, negotiate payment plans and file a lawsuit against offending creditors if necessary.
Supportive attorney advises clients with debt on pros and cons of bankruptcy
One of the most important benefits of filing for bankruptcy is the automatic stay that activates after filing. The automatic stay prohibits creditors or debt collectors from attempting to collect debts from, or enforce liens against, the filer. The automatic stay gives a person the time to reorganize their finances, prioritize their debt and go through the bankruptcy process in peace. When that is completed, a person may be able to have part of their debt discharged or essentially erased.
With more than 25 years of experience practicing in the Knoxville area, my law firm identifies strategic solutions fitted to each client’s debt issues.
Contact an experienced East Tennessee attorney for help fighting creditor harassment
At the Knoxville, Tennessee firm of William E. Maddox, Jr. LLC, Attorney at Law, I help clients take specific actions to stop creditor harassment and work toward debt resolution. To schedule your free initial consultation, call 865-293-4953 or contact me online.