Are You Being Called By the Duggins Law Firm?*

Many people are upset when they receive a call from a debt collector. Some debt collectors may be intrusive, aggressive and rude. If you’re dealing with an especially abusive collection agency, the good news is that you have legal rights on your side.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, was established in 1977 in response to consumer complaints about abusive debt collection practices. Once passed by Congress, the FDCPA made it illegal for third-party debt collectors to use tactics like those below to settle a debt:

• Using profane and obscene language
• Telling your friends, coworkers, and neighbors that they’re trying to collect a debt from you
• Calling you at work after you’ve told them that your workplace doesn’t allow such calls
• Pretending to be police officers or federal agents
• Telling you that you can be arrested or sent to jail
• Calling before 8:00 a.m. and after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone

Company Profile: the Duggins Law Firm

If you are being called by the Duggins Law Firm, information about the company is below.

The Duggins Law Firm is a debt collection law firm located in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was established in 1977, has 20 to 49 employees, and is managed by its founder, David D. Duggins. Records retained at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website confirm that consumers who believed they were being harassed by the Duggins Law Firm hired their own attorneys and fought back in court.

Alleged Violations against the Duggins Law Firm

Violette C. Ikonomidis vs. the Duggins Law Firm*

According to PACER, in or around December 2012 the Duggins Law Firm sent a collection letter to a Louisiana resident regarding a Household Finance Corporation debt it had been assigned to collect. She later claimed that the letter did not properly advise her of her debt dispute rights. This letter was followed by a phone call in January 2013, at which point The Plaintiff advised that she was now represented by counsel regarding the debt. Although she provided her attorney’s contact information, the Duggins Law Firm allegedly called her directly two more times.

Feeling harassed by the Duggins Law Firm, Ms. Linn hired a consumer attorney and sued the firm for allegedly violating the FDCPA in the following ways:

• Using false, deceptive and misleading means to collect a debt
• Failing to validate the debt
• Contacting her directly when she was represented by counsel

The matter was later dismissed.

Hire an FDCPA Attorney

The phone numbers for this collection agency are:

• 1-504-561-1216
• 1-800-264-1218

If either number shows up on your caller ID when the phone rings, it means that you are being called by the Duggins Law Firm. If they keep calling you directly after you engage legal counsel regarding the debt, hire a consumer attorney. Such actions violate the FDCPA, and if you file a claim against he Duggins Law Firm and win, you could potentially receive $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. In the end, their decision to harass you could be an expensive mistake.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 2:13-cv-05872-EEF-SS from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be constructed as legal advice. If you file a claim against the Duggins Law Firm, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.