We have handled several cases in which we successfully got judgments vacated because the Defendant was never served. This is not an uncommon problem, because the phenomenon of “sewer service” is alive and well. It is not unusual that a person had no idea there was a judgment against them, and that the first time…
At Holland Law, we have defended many lawsuits that were filed after the expiration of the Maryland statute of limitations. There are a few different statutes of limitation which may apply to a given case in Maryland whether that’s a debt buyer case, a loan case, or another consumer rights case. Maryland Statute of Limitations:…
Consumers who sue large corporations are always at a disadvantage. Among the many advantages the corporate defendant has is information. Imagine in typical case. A large mortgage servicer demands money from a consumer. The consumer doesn’t owe the money. Months pass, and no matter how many times the consumer explains, the calls and the letters… Read more
Every year, tens of thousands of Maryland residents are sued in debt collection cases. Only about 20 percent of them enter defenses, though. There are a lot of reasons for that. Some people think they don’t stand a chance in court. Some hope that the debt will go away if they ignore it. Others simply… Read more
A study by British industry groups and academics recently set out best practices for debt collectors dealing with so-call vulnerable consumers. InsideARM, a US debt collectors’ trade publication has taken interest and encourages senior management to read it. Among the studies’ key findings were: Read more
Maryland Judiciary Case Search provides a public window in the court system in Maryland. Case types, the names of parties, judgments and charges are all public information, displayed on case search. Through this window, we can see what the largest institutional users of the court system are up to. Here’s what six of the largest… Read more
Plaintiffs in federal court must file long, detailed complaints to avoid motions to dismiss for failing to meet the Supreme Court’s Twombly/Iqbal pleading standards. So, it can be vexing when a corporate defendant files answer with boilerplate affirmative defenses. The Supreme Court has not addressed what standard defendants must meet when they plead, and the… Read more
Judgments have serious consequences. In Maryland they last for 12 years, and are renewable. With a judgment, a creditor can garnish your wages, freeze your bank accounts, get a lien over your home or even seize your car. Sometimes people are surprised to find that there is a judgment against them. So, what can you… Read more
Hundreds of businesses have your personal information these days. This includes sensitive information such as your birthday, address and even your social security number. On top of that, some of them even likely lost that information to third party hackers, increasing your risk of identity theft. Lately we’ve seen several cases of people who were… Read more
By far the largest users of Maryland’s civil courts are businesses collecting debts. Debt buyers are the largest plaintiffs of all. In 2016, a Human Rights Watch report noted that Debt buyers . . . rely on tax-funded state institutions—namely the court system—to secure much of their income. Leading debt buyers rank among the heaviest… Read more
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