By Andrew Deeley, Supervising Attorney, Consumer Defense Unit
Approximately 11 years ago our client Becky (fictitious name) was a victim domestic violence. Her former boyfriend, Sam (fictitious name), was verbally abusive, made physical threats, and had a long criminal history including a history of committing fraud. Becky was recently made aware of a money judgment against her for $8,395.64 from an apartment she allegedly rented with Sam about 10 years ago. It turns out Sam had used her personal information to qualify for a lease and forged her name on the lease. He was later evicted, and a money judgement was entered against the “tenants,” including Becky.
In response, the Consumer Defense Unit prepared an ID Theft defense claim, asserting Becky was the victim of fraud. Thanks to the hard work by our paralegal, Melina Fuentes, we were successful in removing her from the judgment. Melina worked closely with Becky to gather all the supporting information needed to argue such a defense, including signature samples, proof of residency, and corroborating statements. In addition, Melina maintained close communication with Becky and helped her draft a declaration. We then prepared a detailed memo for plaintiff’s review. Presented with the information, they agreed to remove Becky from the judgment and derogatory information from her credit profile.
