Are You Being Called By The McGraw Law Firm, PLC?*

Are you being called by The McGraw Law Firm, PLC?* Here’s what you need to know.

If you run into financial problems that send your credit card accounts or medical bills into arrears, eventually your creditors will tire of pursuing you and turn the accounts over to a third-party debt collector. These companies can chase you for payment in ways that border on abuse, but if this does happen to you, don’t tolerate it. Call a lawyer instead.

Your Rights Under the FDCPA

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or FDCPA, protects you from being harassed and bullied by third-party collection agencies. Actions like these can cause a company to receive hefty fines and even be shut down.

• Using profane and abusive language
• Claiming that you can be arrested and imprisoned for nonpayment of a debt
• Discussing the debt with anyone but you, your spouse, your attorney, and any debt co-signers (if applicable)
• Refusing to validate the debt and prove that they are authorized to collect it
• Demanding an amount that is not supported by law or the original debt agreement
• Calling you before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. in your time zone

Company Profile: the McGraw Law Firm, PLC

If you are being called by the McGraw Law Firm, PLC, information about the firm is below.

The McGraw Law Firm, PLC is a debt collection law office located in Holt Michigan. It was established in 2002, has less than 10 employees, and is managed by owner J.R. McGraw. A review of litigation records at the PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) website indicates that people who believed they were being harassed by the McGraw Law Firm, PLC fought back by hiring lawyers of their own and going to court.

Alleged Violations against the McGraw Law Firm, PLC

Zaneta Inpower vs. the McGraw Law Firm, PLC*

According to PACER, the McGraw Law Firm, PLC began calling Michigan resident Zaneta Inpower to collect a debt allegedly owed to MSU Federal Credit Union. At the end of June 2011 Ms. Inpower received a letter that stated, in part:

Litigation Notice.

(The McGraw Law Firm, PLC ) reserves the right to pursue a judgment through court action and follow it with post judgment action of: statutory rights to lien, levy, or possess your personal property (such as vehicle) as well as proceed with wage, bank and or tax/garnishments.”

Next step-possible lawsuit!

Feeling harassed by the McGraw Law Firm, PLC, Ms. Inpower 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
• Threatening legal action that it could not take or was not intended to be taken

The matter was later settled.

Hire an Attorney

The phone numbers for the McGraw Law Firm, PLC are:

• 1-517-694-6529
• 1-866-529-7736

If you see either number on your caller ID when a call comes in, be warned that you are being called by the McGraw Law Firm, PLC. If they send you letters that threaten nonexistent lawsuits, hire a consumer attorney. Such harassment is illegal, and if you file a claim against the McGraw Law Firm, PLC and win, you could potentially receive $1,000 per violation as well as attorney’s fees, court costs, and any actual damages. No matter how much you may owe, you still have rights that even a law office cannot violate.

*Case taken from PACER (www.pacer.gov). File number is Case 2:11-cv-12987-PJD-RSW from the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan.

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 McGraw Law Firm, PLC, or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.