Linda: Unlawful Debt Collection Practices

I was targeted by a collection agency for a debt that belonged to someone else. Even though I established that the credit card debt was not mine, the collection agency kept coming after me. The collection agency knew I was the wrong person but they started legal proceedings against me. When my husband and I went in to obtain a loan on our home, we found that that a lien had been put on our property and that we no longer had a clear title to our home.

While at the bank we got assurance from the collection firm that it was a case of mistaken identity and that they had taken proceedings against the wrong person. They promised me they would vacate the judgment. But that did not happen. I continued to receive threatening letters that they were going to haul me in to court for a debtor’s exam unless I paid the delinquent account. The lien on our property was ruining my credit score and causing my interest rates to increase.

I was frightened and frustrated from dealing with the problem for almost a year. My health was suffering. My husband and I live pay check to pay check but we pay our bills on time. The amount of the delinquent credit card bill would have forced us into bankruptcy.

I realized we had to get an attorney to help us. There weren’t any lawyers in Bend, Oregon that specialized in this type of legal action. Fortunately, one of the law firms in Bend referred me to Baxter and Baxter.

From the start, Baxter and Baxter law firm got results. While I was in the office for my initial consultation, Mr. Baxter contacted the attorney for the collection firm and immediately got the false judgment vacated. It was reassuring to hear Mr. Baxter tell me that it was terrible what the collection agency had done to me. I had felt so helpless because nothing I had done had stopped these people from coming after me.

Baxter and Baxter attempted to settle out of court and through mediation. But when the issues could not be resolved that way, Mr. Baxter was ready to challenge the collection firm through the court system. A jury decided in my favor with a verdict for $100,000.

Baxter and Baxter represented my case with integrity, professionalism and competence. The victory was due to their diligence and knowledge of the law. I would have been lost without their help. Baxter and Baxter is a family run law firm that represents the victim with compassion and dignity.

“Any result that the endorsed lawyer or law firm may achieve on behalf of one client in one matter does not necessarily indicate that similar results can be obtained for other clients.”