Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

I represent people who : (1) are receiving calls or letters from debt collectors; (2) have inaccurate credit reports; and (3) are being sued by debt collectors.

My clients' credit reporting problems include other people's accounts appearing on my clients' reports (e.g., "mismerged" accounts), identity theft, and credit reports which are inaccurate after the client discharged their debts in bankruptcy. I also represent people whose credit reports have been accessed without a purpose permitted by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Clients often hire me to represent them against debt collectors for many different violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and other laws which govern debt collectors' conduct. My clients' problems have included :(1) false threats of arrest; (2) false threats to sue; (3) calls from the debt collector to employers, friends, and relatives; (4) misrepresentations concerning the debt;
(5) collection lawsuits filed after the statute of limitations had expired; (6) telephone messages and cell phone calls which were improper; and (7)collection letters which are needlessly confusing to consumers.

Many of my clients hired me to represent them against debt collectors and other creditors who failed to update their credit report, continued to call or write them and even sued them attempting to collect discharged debts.

I frequently represent consumers who are being sued by debt collectors.

I do not represent any businesses against consumers.

Finally, I represent relators in qui tam actions brought under the False Claims Act (often referred to as "whistleblower" cases). I represented Francine Mettevelis and Rhea Rowan in United States ex rel Francine Mettevelis & Rhea Rowan vs. Charter Behavioral Health System. Charter Hospital fraudulently admitted hundreds of elderly patients who typically suffered from conditions which could not be treated or which were already being adequately treated in their long term care facility by changing the diagnosis to a treatable condition in order to admit the patients to a "lock down" psychiatric unit in Kissimmee, Florida, and providing minimal if any psychiatric or therapeutic treatment. The exploitation of these seniors was even offensive because most of these patients were "total care" patients and received this high level of care in their nursing home while such care was inadequate while at Charter Hospital. This case along with a similar case arising in Oklahoma established the then-controversial proposition that health care providers claims for payment could be deemed "false claims" when the quality of care was inadequate. After four years of complex litigation, Charter agreed to pay the United States and the relators $ 4,578,000.

I am a modern business lawyer. In all the work that I do for you, I find a way to provide real value, not just time and paper. I am skilled at solving problems and handling disputes, but my goal is to be your trusted counselor, who you can truly rely on for help and advice focused on resolving your legal disputes and achieving your business and personal goals.

I provide legal advice and litigation services to small businesses and their owners on a variety of business and personal matters, including assistance in the following areas:

- General and Complex Business and Real Estate Litigation.
- Business Startups, Purchases, Sales, Mergers, etc.
- Contract Drafting and Review.
- Intellectual Property and Asset Protection.
- Employment Law and Litigation.
- Construction Law and Construction Litigation.
- Real Estate Law and Real Estate Litigation.