New lawyers say their debt burden looms over every aspect of their lives. It influences their career choices, interrupts typical rites of adulthood like buying a home and impacts their physical and mental health. Even as they love being attorneys, recent law school graduates struggle to pay off their obligation.
While the process of remedying a case of credit card identity theft caused “a world of aggravation” for the plaintiff, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the debt collectors’ actions during the investigation didn’t violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Two Indiana women who disputed debts they allegedly owed to debt-collection companies received conflicting results from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in a consolidated Wednesday decision.
A July 2021 report by the Indiana Institute for Working Families found that from 2019 to 2020, debt levels in Indiana increased at a rate of 3.6%, which outpaced the national increase of 3.0%. In dollars, Indiana saw debt levels balloon by roughly $8 billion to $226.5 billion in 2020. This equates to $40,770 in household debt per Hoosier.
A collection agency didn’t violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act when it attempted to collect attorney fees and “fees-on-fees” from an Indianapolis woman who defaulted on a small debt to an Indiana hospital system, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed a trial court’s order vacating a nearly decade-old default judgment in a debt collection dispute, finding the debtor’s delay in bringing his fraud allegation was not reasonable.
The Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday struck down lower court rulings in favor of an unpaid contractor that performed work for a South Bend business, finding that because the business’s assets are now owned by a bank rather than the prior company, the new bank-owned business is not liable for the bill.
The Indiana Supreme Court has denied a petition from several legal aid providers and social service organizations asking the justices to protect the latest round of stimulus checks from being scooped up by debt collectors.
A woman who claimed “stress and confusion” as injuries after she was contacted by a debt collector without her permission could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that the company had violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
In an effort to address the crushing weight posed by student loan debt, the American Bar Association House of Delegates adopted a resolution penned by a group of young lawyers during its midyear meeting last week. The resolution urges programs to assist law school graduates and law students experiencing financial hardship due to their student loan debt.
Though an Indiana woman defeated a debt collector’s claim for arbitration, her lawsuit challenging the creditor’s debt collection practices lacks standing, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed, dismissing the case that previously had been remanded to the Southern District.
The Supreme Court says that when a person’s car has been impounded and they file for bankruptcy, the car does not have to be immediately returned, upholding the practice in Chicago in an 8-0 decision.
A new code in Indiana’s case numbering system is enabling the courts, state agencies and other entities to track and tally the petitions filed for evictions. But fresh data tracking trends nationwide shows evictions in Indiana are far surpassing numbers of other states being studied.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s budget proposal for the next two years calls for increases to funding for K-12, higher education and broadband internet.
Looming evictions with so many Americans unable to pay their rent have been at the forefront of concerns, but legal aid offices and pro bono attorneys see other issues on the horizon. They expect more filings for bankruptcy and guardianships, and they believe more people will reach out for legal assistance with problems connected with consumer debt and domestic violence. Underpinning their ability to help is the need for money.
The restaurant-and-entertainment chain Punch Bowl Social, whose Indianapolis location at 120 S. Meridian St. in Circle Centre mall has been closed since the start of the pandemic, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed a dispute over unpaid homeowners’ association fees, finding that a letter sent to a couple who owed thousands to their HOA did not cause them any concrete harm.
A breach of contract dispute between a company based in Indiana and one based in Florida will continue in Indiana trial court after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a dismissal order that was based on a too-narrow reading of a statute.
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for former University of Evansville basketball coach Walter McCarty after he missed a court hearing in a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of a bank.
Months after vowing to process a backlog of 160,000 requests for loan forgiveness from students who say they were defrauded by their schools, the U.S. Education Department has rejected 94% of claims it has reviewed, according to a federal judge who is demanding justification for the “blistering pace” of denials.