What should you do if CMRE Financial Services, Inc. sues you? The wrong answer is to do nothing.
By not responding to a summons served to you by an employee of a civil court, you can expect the judge ruling on your case to issue a judgment against you. After a judge issues a judgment, you lose the legal right to dispute the amount that you owe on a credit card or a personal loan balance.
Some debt collection agencies either try to collect money on debts that consumers have already paid off or try to collect more money than what was originally owed.
A judgment is a legal order issued by a judge presiding over a civil court hearing. After it is issued, it is virtually impossible to have the judgment changed in any way. If you receive a formal notice notifying you about a lawsuit filed by CMRE Financial Services, Inc., you should quickly get in touch with a licensed consumer protection lawyer who litigates cases involving the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).
How You Respond to a Lawsuit Makes a Huge Difference
Even if you respond to a lawsuit filed by CMRE Financial Services, Inc., you face several legal obstacles that can end in the favor of the third party debt collector. By hiring an FDCPA attorney, you gain the legal expertise to fight back against CMRE Financial Services, Inc. Your lawyer will ask you to give him or her every financial document that relates to the consumer debt in question.
You will have to hand over bank statements, as well as any cancelled checks that were used to pay off a consumer debt. The more financial documentation you give your FDCPA attorney, the better chance you have of proving the account in question has already been paid off.
Your FDCPA lawyer will perform a comprehensive investigation into your case to determine whether a bill collector has violated one or more provisions of the FDCPA. Written into federal law in response to consumer anger, the FDCPA prohibits the use of deception for collecting delinquent consumer debts.
The FDCPA also gives consumers the power to file claims against debt collection agencies that have crossed the legal line.
Possible Damages Awarded under the FDCPA
Proving a third party debt collector like CMRE Financial Services, Inc. violated one or more provisions of the FDCPA requires the submission of physical evidence.
For example, if a bill collector violated the FDCPA provision banning repeated phone calls, you need to submit tape recorded conversations of the phone calls that include time stamps. After proving FDCPA violations, your attorney might opt to seek statutory damages, which is a one-time financial award that cannot exceed $1,000. You also have the right to seek monetary damages for the pain and suffering triggered by physical and/or emotional distress symptoms.
Contact an FDCPA Lawyer Today
An experienced FDCPA attorney will help you navigate the complex legal process associated with the filing of a lawsuit. He or she will explore every legal option, before deciding which option is the most appropriate option to use for your case.
Speak with a highly rated FDCPA lawyer to learn more about your consumer rights.
Additional Information
*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 CMRE Financial Services, Inc. or any other third-party collection agency, you may not be entitled to any compensation.