The LeNoir Law Firm takes legal action against out-of-state debt collection attorneys who are not licensed to practice law in New York, for placing garnishments on the wages of New Yorkers. These garnishments are illegal because they do not comply with numerous New York State laws regulating wage garnishments. Additionally, these out-of-state law firms and attorneys are committing crimes in New York by practicing law in New York without a license. Committing a crime in the course of an attempt to collect a debt is a violation of the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, for which we sue for monetary damages, attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses. We also sue the debt collector that hired the collection attorney for legal violations and monetary damages.
The collection agencies also risk losing their NYC Department of Consumer Affairs licenses to collect debts from New York City residents, which is no small loss. Additionally, the out-of-state attorneys risk being prosecuted in New York for the crime of practicing law without a license. Our clients, the garnishees, have the option to file complaints against the debt collector with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs and against the collection attorneys at the appropriate New York State District Attorney’s office. This is in addition to suing the out-of-state collector and law firm in New York State Supreme Court for monetary damages.