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Collections Law/Statue of limitation on collections

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Expert: Creditwrench - 4/19/2010


Question
Hi, it is extremely kind of you to give your time and knowledge to people like me. Thank you!
I read on the Internet that the Statue of Limitation on contracts is 4 years in my state (Pennsylvania). what exactly does that mean? In February it has been 4 years since  I breached the contract (I have a very clear conscience here by the way) and last week I got a letter from collection agency (via regular mail) demanding 4 000 and giving me 30 days to respond. Can they
still demand money after SoL. and can they report me to credit burreau (I really do not think I should pay them even a cent. )What should I do to get them off my back? Should I take a lawyer or they act illegally?

Answer

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The statute of limitations depends on what type of contract it is. I would certainly respond to that collection agency with a demand for validation. Yes, they can demand money after SOL. Yes, they can report you to credit bureaus so long as that 7 year reporting period has not passed. Should you take a lawyer? I wouldn't take a lawyer to a dog fight even if s/he had a chance to win it. (LOL). What should you do to get them off your back? I'd need much more information to be able to help you with that.  

Creditwrench

Expertise

Debt Collections law, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), federal law, how to properly answer court summons for collection cases, how to prepare federal cases against debt collectors, how to deal with debt collection phone calls.

Experience

I've been an active consumer advocate for more than 40 years and have helped hundreds of people win cases against debt collectors as well as helping them defeat demands for summary judgment lodged against them by banks, debt collectors and defeat mortgage foreclosures and keep their homes.

Education/Credentials
Paralegal courses for the most part.
I have been teaching people how to deal with judgments, mortgage foreclosures and other such problems both on and off the internet for many, many years. I am a Richard Cornforth information provider ever since 2000 and worked with many other organizations and causes since 1980. I was Oklahoma State Chairman for the nationwide drive to defeat the Constitutional Convention which was proposed by various factions within our federal government such as the Council of State Governments and the National Organization of State Governors who were working hard to organize a Constitutional Convention to be held in 1995 for the purpose of rewriting our American Constitution to be more acceptable to the United Nations. I worked with Senator Charles Duke of Colorado and Senator Don Rogers of California and many others across the nation to keep them from getting the number of delegate states required to lawfully hold a Con-Con and we were successful. I have worked with many other legislative issues in Oklahoma and have always been very successful.

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