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(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 23, 2009 ) Orlando, FL - Debt harassment lawyer Billy Howard of Morgan & Morgan, PA was featured on a recent Call Kurtis Investigation into abusive debt collection practices. Airing on CBS 13, the report by Kurtis Ming examined instances of debt collectors using abusive tactics intended to traumatize consumers and bully them into making payments.
Billy Howard, who defines debt harassment as “intentional, malicious conduct aimed at getting money,” is currently representing Dianne McLeod, Erica Cartagena, and hundreds of others in debt harassment lawsuits. Dianne McLeod and and her husband Stanley began receiving offensive phone calls from debt collectors after Stanley suffered a heart attack and had to stop working. The couple fell behind on their mortgage payments and received up to ten calls per day from debt collectors. These calls were extremely stressful for Stanley and often made his blood pressure rise. After Stanley passed away, Dianne filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that the stress caused by the debt collector’s harassment had contributed to his death.
Another one of HowardÂ’s clients, Erica Cartagena, was not even behind on her car payments. However, a debt collector left a message on her friendÂ’s answering machine stating that he understood that Erica had died and asking the friend to confirm if this was true. The friend called EricaÂ’s brother, who spent several traumatic hours trying to get a hold of his sister. Although he was grateful to find out that she was alive, he feels the debt collectorÂ’s actions were out of line.
Bill collectors are getting increasingly aggressive as the struggling economy and high unemployment rates leave more people unable to pay their bills. During the first six months of 2009, the government received over 45,000 complaints about abusive debt collectors. Consumers should be aware that it is illegal for debt collectors to harass them or use threatening or obscene language. In addition, debt collectors are only allowed to call between the hours of 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM.
If you feel that your rights have been violated by an abusive debt collector, please visit http://www.forthepeople.com/collection_harassment.htm and complete the Free Case Evaluation form. The collection harassment lawyers at Morgan & Morgan are dedicated to protecting the rights of debt harassment victims.
About Morgan & Morgan
Morgan & Morgan is one of the largest Personal Injury law firms in the country with offices nationwide. The firm handles product liability cases, personal injury cases, and medical malpractice cases, as well as claims against drug and medical device manufacturers. Visit http://www.forthepeople.com for a free case evaluation and information about your legal rights.
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