Sued by a Debt Collector
Don't ignore it. Deadlines differ in PA and NJ, you have more defenses than you think, and bankruptcy can stop the case the day you file.
Fight the lawsuit
Philadelphia & South Jersey
Consumer Protection Lawyer
Consumer protection law is the set of federal and state rules, like the FDCPA and the FCRA, that lets you fight back when a debt collector or creditor breaks the law, and they may have to pay you. We hold abusive collectors, creditors, and credit bureaus accountable across Philadelphia and South Jersey, often at no cost to you.
Make the lawbreakers pay you
Federal and state consumer laws protect you from harassment, false credit reporting, and illegal collection, and they have teeth. In one of our cases, In re Minarik, we recovered $20,000 from PPL for a client after an automatic-stay violation (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2025). When a collector, creditor, or credit bureau crosses the line, we can stop them and recover money for you, and many of these cases are handled so the wrongdoer pays our fees, not you. We serve people across Greater Philadelphia and all of South Jersey, and everywhere else in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
What we handle
- Debt collector harassment and abuse (FDCPA)
- Credit report errors and disputes (FCRA)
- Illegal collection lawsuits, threats, and robocalls
- Creditor and automatic-stay violations
- Identity theft and mixed credit files
What you may recover
- Statutory damages the law sets per violation
- Actual damages for the harm you suffered
- Your attorney fees, often paid by the violator
- A court order that makes the harassment stop
- Punitive damages for willful stay violations, in appropriate circumstances
How a Consumer Protection Case Works
From the first abusive call to money in your pocket.
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1
Step 1 of 6
Free consultation
Tell us what the collector, creditor, or bureau did. Phone or Zoom, zero obligation.
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2
Step 2 of 6
We gather the evidence
Collection letters, call logs, voicemails, and your credit reports. You forward what you have, we do the rest.
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3
Step 3 of 6
We pinpoint the violations
We map what happened against the FDCPA, the FCRA, and state consumer laws.
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4
Step 4 of 6
We demand and negotiate
We put the violator on notice. Many cases settle quickly once they see the exposure.
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5
Step 5 of 6
We file suit if needed
If they will not make it right, we take them to court.
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6
Step 6 of 6
You recover
Damages plus, in most cases, your attorney fees paid by the violator. And the harassment stops.
Related guides
Debt Collector Harassment
Repeated calls, threats, and third-party contact are illegal. The FDCPA sets hard limits on collectors, and violators can owe you up to $1,000 plus your attorney fees.
Stop the harassmentCommon questions about Consumer Protection
What does a consumer protection lawyer do?
A consumer protection lawyer holds debt collectors, creditors, and credit bureaus accountable when they break the law, by stopping the conduct and recovering money for you under laws like the FDCPA and the FCRA.
Will this cost me anything?
In most consumer protection cases the law makes the violator pay your attorney fees, so you typically pay nothing out of pocket. We will explain exactly how it works in your free consultation.
What counts as debt collector harassment?
Repeated or threatening calls, calls before 8 in the morning or after 9 at night, false threats of arrest or a lawsuit, and contacting you directly once they know a lawyer represents you. The FDCPA bans all of it, and it also gives you the right to a validation notice spelling out the debt so you can dispute it.
Can I sue over errors on my credit report?
Yes. When you dispute an error, the FCRA generally gives the bureau 30 days to reinvestigate, and information that can't be verified has to come off your report. You're also entitled to written results and to add a statement of dispute to your file. If a bureau or furnisher keeps reporting inaccurate information after a proper dispute, you may have a claim, and we'll tell you if you do.
A creditor kept collecting after I filed bankruptcy. What can I do?
That can be a willful violation of the automatic stay, and the Bankruptcy Code takes it seriously. Under section 362(k), you may recover actual damages, including costs and attorney fees, and punitive damages in appropriate circumstances. That's exactly what happened in our In re Minarik case, where a stay violation led to a $20,000 recovery for the client. Every case turns on its own facts, but the remedy is real.
A creditor filed false or baseless papers in my bankruptcy case. Can they be sanctioned?
They can. Rule 9011, bankruptcy's version of Rule 11, lets the court sanction a creditor that files papers with false statements or no legal basis. In one of our cases, In re Heasley, we obtained Rule 9011 sanctions against a creditor (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2025). If a creditor is abusing the litigation process, bring us the paperwork.
Do I have to file bankruptcy to bring a case?
No, not for collection or credit reporting cases. Those are standalone cases against the collector, creditor, or bureau, separate from bankruptcy. Stay violations are the exception, since they happen inside a bankruptcy case. We often spot violations while helping clients with debt, but you do not need to file to pursue a collection or credit reporting claim.
Can you handle my case from Philadelphia or South Jersey without coming in?
Yes. We handle everything over phone and Zoom, anywhere in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.