Untitled

Unauthorized Debit Card Charges and the Electronic Fund Transfers Act – Alabama Consumer Rights Attorney Judson E Crump

Debit card fraud happens all the time. You’re at Chick-fil-A about to buy a Spicy Sandwich Combo and your card – which should have at least $700 on it – is declined. WTH? So you call your bank and find out that somehow there’s hundreds of dollars missing from your account. Your account may have been hacked, or maybe a debit…

Mobile, Ala. man sues Regions Bank for Debit Card Fraud – Alabama Consumer Rights Attorney Judson E. Crump

When your debit card is lost or stolen, there are laws that prohibit financial institutions from holding you liable for unauthorized transactions, as long as you report the lost or stolen card in a timely manner. The Electronic Fund Transfers Actsays that a consumer cannot be held liable for more than $50 of unauthorized charges if you report the card as lost or stolen within 2 days of learning…

Alabama Woman Sues Go Program Debit Card for Unauthorized Use – Alabama Identity Theft Attorney Judson E. Crump

I’ve written before about the rights you have when you have been the victim of identity theft, and here is another case that illustrates why consumer rights under the Electronic Fund Transfers Act are so important. Like many of my clients, Mrs. Dean was dependent on her child support funds to make ends meet. Her child support funds were transmitted to her by being deposited into a Go Program…

Alabama Woman wins $43,000 Judgment Against Car Dealership for Fraud and Wrongful Repossession

Final Judgment for the Plaintiff against Defendant Car Dealership in the amount of $43,840.54, plus court costs.

In March of 2016, my client went shopping for a car at Champion Automotive, a used car dealership in Mobile, Alabama. They told her she was approved, and took her $2,500 as a down payment for the vehicle. Unbeknownst to her, she was not actually approved by any finance company, and…

Even non-debtors can go to jail for bankruptcy fraud. – Alabama Bankruptcy Attorney Judson E. Crump

Sometimes I get questions from potential clients who want to hide assets from their creditors. “What if I just transfer it to my wife?” Is a common question. Short answer: you can’t do that. But what happens if you do?

At best, you’ll get caught and you won’t be allowed to discharge any debts in bankruptcy. At worst, you’ll end up in federal prison. Just consider the case of Ronald and…

Don’t Let the Coronavirus Rush You Into Bankruptcy!

The current COVID-19 outbreak has caused massive layoffs and work shortages here in Alabama, just like everywhere else. Stores are closed, bars and restaurants aren’t making any money, and you can’t find the good toilet paper anywhere. Congress did finally pass an emergency bailout bill, but even getting an extra $1,200 won’t be enough to cover your lost wages, especially if you were working in a…

Alabama Legislature Again Trying to Make Life Harder for Working Poor

Alabama has, shall we say, a reputation for being a bit backward. Don’t get me wrong: I love my home state and will always live here. But sometimes that reputation is well deserved. Take, for instance, the actions of the Alabama State Legislature during the 2020 legislative session. There are several bills that have been proposed which, despite having consumer-friendly names, are in fact designed…

Huge Win for Alabama Debtors Facing Wage Garnishments – Alabama Wage Garnishment Attorney Judson E. Crump

On January 10, 2020, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals issued its decision in the case of Renter’s Realty v. Ieshia Smith. At issue in that case was whether the Alabama Constitution’s $1,000 personal property exemption could be applied by judgment debtors to protect wages.

First, some background on the case. The Alabama Constitution has an exemption for personal property that allows…

NEVER Sign a Release After a Wrongful Repossession – Alabama Repossession Attorney Judson E. Crump

I met with a lady (to protect her anonymity, we’ll call her Mrs. Jones) recently whose car was wrongfully repossessed by TitleMax. She had bought the car from an individual who had bought it from an auto repair shop as an abandoned vehicle. In Alabama, if a motor vehicle is abandoned at a repair facility, then the owner of the repair facility has a mechanic’s lien on the vehicle. If the vehicle…

What Corporations Don’t Want You to Know About Arbitration – Alabama Consumer Arbitration Attorney Judson E. Crump

We all know that arbitration clauses are used to screw working peoplewho have been done wrong by big businesses. They keep you from getting your case before real judges and juries and force you into secretive, private proceedings where your rights are severely limited and you have no appeal if you lose, no mater how legitimate your case may be. And for that reason, arbitration provisions are…

FAIR Act Passes in U.S. House of Representatives – Alabama Consumer Rights Attorney Judson E. Crump

Today the US House of Representatives passed a landmark piece of legislation aimed at helping consumers and employees get access to justice: the FAIR Act. The Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act of 2019 partially repeals the Federal Arbitration Act in certain consumer and employment contracts. This is a HUGE deal. Why? Because forced arbitration has become the primary weapon that big…

Alabama Trucker Sues Blue Devil Products for False Advertising

This case began with a leaky head gasket. Our client was a truck driver who needed his Peterbilt 289 semi-truck to run smoothly for his work. After doing some research, he found a product that seemed like it would fix his problems: Blue Devil Head Gasket Sealer (TM). This product was advertised as an effective solution to leaking head gaskets and cracked heads. You can see a picture of the bottle…

Lease-Purchase Agreements in Alabama: Another Example of The Evil Effect of Corporate Lobbying

The traditional way to buy something on credit is through UCC Article 9.

But there’s another way: a Lease purchase agreement.

The LPA is a worse deal:

The buyer doesn’t own the property until the end of the payments, rather than the beginning.

Leases aren’t subject to usury laws.

The buyer doesn’t have the post-default rights after property is repossessed.  This is important, because in a real…

Alabama Woman Wins $24,410 Judgment Against Car Dealer for Wrongful Repossession

Back in 2015, one of our clients bought a Chrysler 300 from a local used car dealership. It was a buy-here-pay-here deal, so she made her payments each month directly to the dealership. In January of 2018, she fell behind on her payments to the dealer, so the car was repossessed. Luckily, our client was able to gather the money to redeem the vehicle by paying off the remaining balance of $3,200.…

Protecting Exempt Personal Property in Alabama – Debt and Credit Attorney Judson E. Crump

Even if a judgment has been entered against you, it may be possible to protect your income and assets without filing bankruptcy.

As I’ve written before, there are lots of ways to defend against a collection lawsuit, and if you’ve been served with lawsuit paperwork, you owe it to yourself to talk to a knowledgeable debt defense lawyer in your area.  Answer the complaint and fight it.

But…

NCSLT Student Loan Lawsuit Defeated at Trial – Alabama Student Loan Attorney Judson E. Crump

National Collegiate Student Loan Trust sued my client for a delinquent student loan.  We won.

National Collegiate Student Loan Trust, or NCSLT, as it is more commonly abbreviated, is a massive corporate entity that purchases old, charged off student loans and then proceeds to try and collect them.  Like most buyers of junk debt, they often file collection lawsuits against delinquent borrowers in…

Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC Collection Lawsuit Defeated – Alabama Debt and Credit Attorney Judson E. Crump

Another credit card lawsuit against a struggling Alabama woman, another victory for the consumer.

Jefferson Capital Systems, LLCsued my client for an allegedly unpaid credit card bill.  They initially sued her in the District Court of Baldwin County, but we won that lawsuit, so they appealed the case to the Circuit Court.  In Alabama, if you lose a lawsuit in the district court level, you can…