Marshall Arbor (fictitious name) is a divorced senior citizen and retired veteran living alone on a fix income in Orange County. He contacted Community Legal Aid SoCal (CLA SoCal) in August 2024 for assistance with a collection lawsuit. The collection company was demanding $1,382 from him which he said he was hard pressed to pay. Other than an old used car he had no assets.
On September 18, 2024, the CLA SoCal Consumer Defense Unit represented Mr. Arbor and asked the lawyer representing the debt collector if they would consider dismissing the debt due to Mr. Arbor’s financial hardship. Noha Gabra, the Supervising Attorney of the Consumer Defense Unit, was in constant communication with opposing counsel until a dismissal was finally issued on October 1, 2024. When Mr. Arbor learned of the good news, he expressed his relief and delight and said with a smile, “America still works”.
