
We Fight Tirelessly For You
Long Island Consumer Debt Protection Lawyer
Protect Your Rights to Privacy as You Pay Off Debts
Under Federal and New York State law, we are all afforded certain rights that protect us from unfair and unscrupulous business practices, such as deceptive marketing, false advertising, consumer fraud, and identity theft.
Statutes the Protect the Consumer
Statutes like The Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act are just some of the laws that are in place to protect consumers. Our law firm zealously represents clients with a variety of consumer debt issues, such as:
- Received a collection letter seeking reimbursement on any alleged unpaid debt OR received a lawsuit, summons and are being sued for any alleged debt-seeking reimbursement for:
- Alleged unpaid medical bills
- Alleged unpaid hospital bills
- Alleged unpaid doctor bills
- Alleged unpaid credit card debt or loans
- Alleged unpaid consumer debt
- Alleged unpaid student loans
- Challenging negative tradelines on your credit report
- Vacating judgments
- Lifting banking restraints
- Vacating garnishments
- Wage Garnishments
We also aggressively defend our clients in lawsuits where creditors are seeking reimbursement for similar financial or contractual debts and work hard to provide our clients with medical debt relief.
We have successfully defended clients against such debts and have also brought affirmative actions against creditors and collection agencies that have violated the rights of our clients as well as the law.
Have you been the victim of unscrupulous business practices? Call the Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman, P.C. at (800) 242-3740 for a free consultation to discuss your debt defense rights and devise a plan of action.
Protecting Your Rights Under Debt Defense Law
Collection agencies have endless measures up their sleeves to collect on large debts, from credit cards to medical debt. Some of these measures are extreme and others may be violations of the law. No matter your financial situation, it is important that companies do not abuse you or take advantage of unsuspecting people. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
If you are facing any type of lawsuit or collection actions that threatens your sanity or financial well-being, taking legal action may be the next best step. Fortunately, we have the care, attentiveness, and experience to assess your case and represent you in or out of court. You deserve an honest, thoughtful, and zealous advocate to represent you and to protect your legal rights.
The Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman P.C. helps clients with situations like:
- Consumer debt defense: Our firm has experience with legal representation for debt by working with creditors to make an agreement about what you owe, when it must be paid, and even if it must be paid in full. There are certain laws in place to make sure you are treated fairly.
- Credit card debt defense: If you were sued by your credit card company for debt default, our firm can help you uncover strategies to either give you time, lower the debt payment required, or even eliminate the debt altogether.
- Medical debt defense: Once you have medical debt, it can feel like your finances are out of control. Our firm has experience looking over your records, bills, and services to help you find a manageable, fair way to repay your debt. Perhaps you are like the countless other individuals on Long Island who have received collection letters and invoices seeking thousands of dollars in medical repayments. If so, contact us about medical debt relief; you may be able to avoid repayment and even bring affirmative actions against healthcare providers that have violated your rights and the law.
- Surprise medical bill defense: Some people receive medical bills they are not expecting or that include services that should have been covered under their health insurance plan. In certain cases, healthcare providers expect full payment for the services rendered. However, New York Financial Services Law § 606 (a) states that when an insured person assigns benefits for a surprise bill in writing to a non-participating physician, that physician should not bill the patient except for any applicable copayment that would be charged by a participating physician. Our hospital bill lawyers fight such cases zealously.
- Emergency medical bill defense: Sometimes patients end up at unfamiliar hospitals or healthcare providers in the event of an emergency. There are some cases where these patients end up being billed for the entirety of the medical services they received even though they are insured. Our medical billing advocates fight for clients in such situations and have done so successfully. New York Financial Services Law 606 (b) states that when an insured patient receives medical services from a non-participating physician that knows the patient is insured, that physician cannot bill the patient except for any applicable copayment that would be charged by a participating physician.
- Vacating judgments: Perhaps a lawsuit was brought against you and you were not served properly, meaning you had no advance notice of the lawsuit. The lawsuit left you with massive bills to pay without the money you need to pay them, and now there are debt collectors seeking you out and causing damage to your credit report or filing liens on your property. We may be able to help you overturn this judgment and find a more manageable way to take care of your debt. Our firm has successfully overturned judgments on the basis of a lack of personal jurisdiction and due process.
- Consumer protection and fraud: Companies do not always keep their customers’ best interests at heart. If you were a victim of unfair or deceptive business practices, let our firm hold that company accountable to prevent it from happening again.
- Garnishments and banking restraints: In certain severe debt situations, your bank account can be restrained by a third party. Your wages can also be garnished by a creditor, the marshal, or sheriff. Our law firm has successfully lifted banking restraints and vacated garnishments for clients. We have also brought affirmative actions against creditors and bill collectors that have violated the rights of our clients as well as the law.
Your Rights as a Debtor
Not only are debt collectors required to treat you with dignity and respect, but you may have legal recourse if they have abused you in some way.
For example, debt collectors cannot:
- Threaten you with a lawsuit
- Contact you if you have asked them not to
- Call you after 9:00 p.m. or before 8:00 a.m.
- Contact you about your debt without providing written details about the debt within five days of the first call
- Speak with anyone but you about your debt
If a debt collector has done any of this to you, it is important that you get started building a case right away. The Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman, P.C. may be able to help.
Are You Being Sued?
If a lawsuit has been filed against you concerning your debts, you need the help of an experienced Long Island consumer debt defense lawyer. Our firm has handled tens of thousands of cases, and we know the law when it comes to suing debtors.
You may have defense options, such as:
- Expired statute of limitations
- Inaccurate information
- No standing to sue
- Bankruptcy
- Student Loans and Consumer Debt Defense
Thousands of people default on their loans each day. If you have unmanageable loans, the Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman, P.C. can offer helpful advice to help ensure you make effective use of your available legal options.
Student Loans and Consumer Debt Defense
If your student loans have become impossible to manage, you may be able to:
- Refinance
- Find a job-driven forgiveness program
- File for bankruptcy
- Rehabilitate your loans
Caring Consumer Protection Lawyer in Long Island
If you're dealing with overwhelming debt, you may be feeling quite distressed and scared about the future. You may even be angry at creditors who are harassing you and taking advantage of the situation. Whatever the situation may be, our goal is to step in and offer skilled representation.
Dial (800) 242-3740 now and schedule your free consultation with our Long Island consumer debt defense lawyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
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If you have just been involved in an automobile accident—no matter how severe you think it is—there are several important things you keep in mind to preserve and protect your rights under the law.
Here are a few important steps and actions you should follow immediately following your accident:
- Seek immediate medical attention if injured. Be sure to document everything.
- Inform any and all healthcare providers of your injuries, complaints, medical history, and pain. Tell your doctors each and every area of pain, no matter how slight the pain is. Properly and honestly documenting your complaints can be the difference between successfully recovering on your case.
- Take photos of any and all injuries.
- Take photos of any vehicles involved in an accident.
- Take photos of your car—documentation is vital.
- Report to the police if they did not arrive.
- Get a copy of the police report.
- Review police report and make corrections with a police officer.
- Keep a detailed accounting of any expenses you have accrued as a result of your accident, including gas and mileage costs incurred from traveling to and from your doctor’s office for treatment related to injuries sustained from your automobile accident, lost time from work, unpaid bills, co-pays if applicable, etc.
- Immediately contact and report a claim to your insurance carrier A.S.A.P. (There are strict time requirements and documents you need to send to your insurance carrier. We can fully assist you with this process and handle most of these actions for you when retained)
- Complete and submit an application for a no-fault insurance claim (NF-2), which will enable you to receive medical treatment for the injuries you sustained in your automobile accident.
- Get an insurance claim number from your insurance carrier and the defendant’s carrier.
- Contact us immediately to discuss and preserve your rights. We will offer you a free consultation.
Along with what you should do, here are some important things not to do:
- Do not discuss or share any of the details of your accident or injuries with anyone except your attorneys.
- Do not post any details or photos regarding the details of your accident and injuries to Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media account. This information can be used against you and is often discoverable, which means you may have to share this information with the defendant should you pursue a lawsuit.
- Do not spare any details to your healthcare provider about the full extent of your injuries. Documenting the full details of your injuries and complaints can increase the chances of your success. Failure to document and failure to disclose honestly the details can result in decreasing your chances of recovery on your claim.
- Do not enter into an agreement with an insurance carrier without first consulting and retaining an experienced personal injury trial lawyer. Sometimes, when an insurance carrier knows they are liable, they may try to offer the victim money in an effort to save money. Their strategy is to get to you before you seek legal representation and before you know your legal rights.
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Property owners are expected to keep their premises safe. If you injured yourself in a slip and fall accident, you need to prove that the owner likely knew about the dangerous area, failed to repair it, and failed to warn people about the dangerous condition. Photo evidence is crucial, as well as proof of the owner’s awareness of the defect and their failure to repair it. It also helps to have a Long Island personal injury lawyer on your side who can help you establish a strong case for compensation for your injuries.
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The goal of no-fault insurance is to make sure all victims of an accident are cared for, regardless of who caused the accident. This means the insurance policy should cover medical costs and hospitalization fees, lost wages, and any funeral expenses incurred.
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No. Splitting fees with a management company is not a crime. In 2015, an insurance carrier tried to withhold payment of a provider’s medical fees by claiming that their management agency—which collected 6% of their total costs—was not medical staff. This was an attempt to argue that the healthcare provider was committing fraud, but the court ruled against the insurance carrier.
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Yes. If you want to be reimbursed for medical costs, you are required by law to appear. However, you do not have to appear alone. The Law Office of Gregory A. Goodman, P.C. can represent you during your EUO to help you avoid making any statements that would injure your ability to obtain full and fair compensation.
