Category: Consumer Columnists

SENIOR No. 1 and senior No. 2 are in the same boat. They each have car repossession deficiencies of over $100,000, and business credit card debt of $50,000. Just by looking at these figures, you know there’s something not right. At their age, why should they each have several car repo deficiencies of over $100,000?…

SIX attorneys sued their employer, Morrison & Foerster, one of the largest law firms in the country, claiming that their employer discriminated against them by holding them back in their careers after they became pregnant. They sued on behalf of themselves and other female attorneys at the firm. The employees allege that those who took…

ARE you currently struggling with debt problems and don’t know what to do? To most people, finding themselves in that situation is pretty scary. They constantly worry about their finances and wonder whether they will ever be able to get out of the financial mess that is causing them a lot of stress. But what…

KOURTNEY Liggins worked as an eighth-grade teacher for 5 years at the Transfiguration School, a religious-run school in Los Angeles. Liggins was unmarried and seven months pregnant when her boss told her that her “pregnancy would morally corrupt impressionable teenagers” at the school. Her boss referred to her unborn child as “it” and said that…

Need Chapter 13 to stop foreclosure  “ Second, if they can find the right buyer, a motion seeking court permission to sell the house can be filed in the Chapter 13 case.” THE client is 61 and her husband is 60. In my book, they are young seniors. They bought their house in 2006 just…

WACKENHUT Corporation, which is now known as G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc., is a global security solutions company that employs thousands of private security officers, including some in California. Three former G4S security officers filed a class action lawsuit against the company accusing it of having implemented policies and procedures that resulted in its failure…

Pay debt off completely     There are of course different ways of getting rid of debt. The most obvious is just pay it off. Let’s say you owe $50,000 of credit cards. It’s costing you $1,500 a month of minimum payments to keep them current, or $18,000 a year, every year. Obviously, the simplest…

ACCORDING to a new report, the number of seniors filing bankruptcy is increasing rapidly. The average senior who files bankruptcy these days owes approximately $17,390 according to the report (Although I have to say that most seniors who come to me for debt help actually owe a lot more!). Some of the reasons mentioned are…

“  One thing that may help you determine if you still have debts in active collection status is by looking at the most recent copy of your credit report and reviewing it for accuracy.” DO you have old debts in the past that you haven’t paid and are wondering if the creditors can still come…

“ I suggest a Chapter 7 to wipe out all debt. Let the house go if it is not sold, and go look for another residence now that is more reasonable in mortgage payments.” THE client is 65. She still works middle management and earns $37,000 yearly. Although she is married, I would say that…

DOMINIC Oliveira works as a driver for New Prime, Inc., an interstate trucking company. On paper, Mr. Oliveira is not an employee because he signed contracts with New Prime, labeling him an independent contractor (IC). The contracts Oliveira signed also instruct that any disputes arising out of the parties’ relationship should be resolved by an…

“  Arias came to know of these plans. Fearing that he would be deported and separated from his family, Arias suffered anxiety and emotional distress. One month before trial, Arias entered into a settlement with the employer due in large part to the threat of deportation.” LAST year, we wrote about an undocumented immigrant and…

“  There are clients like this who are headstrong in the wrong way and insist on their own kind of justice that has no basis in reality. They’re living in a fantasy world. Bankruptcy law exists to protect you and your assets from debt and creditor enforcement to collect what you owe them. Use bankruptcy law…

THE client is 64, a young senior. I say young because I consider seniors in their 60s as still active and robust. Except for more white hair, they still feel like they are 30. The problem with being in the 60s is that 70 is just around the corner. Now when one becomes 70, after…

I KNOW we’ve never met but if you are facing serious debt problems, I know there’s a common concern that people share when they are in your situation. As a debt relief attorney, I hear it from people who consult with me every day. It is this: The possibility of losing what they have worked…

BRIAN Gruzalski worked as an airplane mechanic for FedEx. Stanley Langevin was his supervisor. Mark Collins was their manager. These three employees sued FedEx claiming that it retaliated against them after complaining that their employer violated the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety requirements by failing to properly repair its planes. During trial, the employees presented evidence…

“ A hostile environment is created when unwelcome sexual conduct unreasonably interferes with an individual’s job performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive working environment. Even if there is no threat of termination, the manager’s inappropriate conduct is enough to create either an offensive working environment or affects the co-worker’s job performance or both.”…

“  Yes, your credit score increases yearly after bankruptcy and you do get new credit cards and new credit lines. I just suggest that you pay off the cards completely every month. Don’t leave any balance outstanding. Otherwise, the balances start accumulating again, and you’re on the hook again.” BEST wishes and Happy New Year…

A LOT of people who consult with me about their debt problems are going through the worst time of their lives. Unlike other problems in life that sometimes just go away on their own, debt problems will only get worse unless you do something about them. While dealing with debt and coming up with a…

FIRST of all, let me wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! We celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The divine became human as an expression of God’s love for humankind. Now what, pray tell does the title legal financial plastic surgery mean? Is this something hard to imagine? Not really. Plastic and…

HERE are some important laws that were created or that took effect in California in 2018 to continue to protect employees: CA Supreme Court Tightens Laws on Independent Contractor Misclassification The Supreme Court ruled that a worker is properly considered an independent contractor to whom employment laws does not apply only if the hiring entity…