By Melina Fuentes, Staff Paralegal
Our client Massimo Vega (fictitious name) is 54-year-old non-literate monolingual Spanish speaker who works as a caregiver for his sickly wife. Jefferson Capital, a third-party debt collector, served him with a summons and complaint demanding that he pay them $2,412.16 in damages. Faced with inequality, inability to hire a lawyer, language barriers, and the fear of navigating the court system, Massimo sought help and was referred to our free weekly Consumer Debt Workshop at the Orange County Law Library.
At the workshop, Massimo learned about consumer rights, types of debt collections, and the options if you are sued. Most importantly, he learned that debt collection is a civil court process, and not a criminal one, and that you CANNOT go to jail for not paying your consumer debt. When he learned the difference, his demeanor changed, he became emotional, and shed tears of relief.
We agreed to represent him, and immediately wrote a letter to Jefferson Capital requesting that the case be dismissed due to financial hardship. They granted the request, and the case was dismissed, saving Massimo not only the $2,412.16 but also the stress and anxiety of navigating the court system.
