Day 24 of 30 Days of Debt Collection, and it's time for another round of what's my case worth? (FDCPA edition.) The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA,) remember, lets debtors who are the victims of violations of that law.
Victims like the three people in New Mexico who were awarded $87,000 in damages for abuses by a debt collector. The debt collector told one debtor that her mom might have to go to jail, called another derogatory names and used profanity, threatened to have one arrested, claimed a lawsuit would be filed, and, last but not least, agreed with the debtors to settle an account for a lesser amount, only to breach that agreement and try to get more money. The debtors were also awarded almost $6,000 in attorney's fees.
It looks like the defendants didn't bother to even appear in court -- so it's not clear if the debtors would have gotten more or less if the collectors had fought on it.
Remember that all cases are different and yours might be worth more... or less... or nothing at all.
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