Clinic and Debt Collection Lawyer Get Sued Over Venue

by Patrick Lunsford, CollectionIndustry.com

Two women in Ohio are suing a medical clinic and the lawyer that represents the clinic in debt collection cases. The pair alleges infringement of the FDCPA variety in the suits.

At issue is the venue in which the lawyer filed collection suits against the women, and allegedly many more. The consumers are claiming that suit was filed in an Ohio county that neither lived in nor housed the clinic where the debt was run up, in violation of the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act. But, naturally, the attorney for the debtors is trying to literally make a Federal case out of the lawsuit.

Steven C. Shane, the lawyer for the pair, dropped not-so-subtle hints that the lawsuit would seek broader scope shortly. Among other things, Shane claims that the debt collection violations are wide-reaching and may have federal FDCPA implications as well. “It’s an unfair debt-collection practice,” Shane told the Athens (OH) News. “It’s been determined for some time to be illegal… I think this is a real serious debt-collection abuse.”

Shane is seeking class action status for both lawsuits locally and federally. According to the Athens News, Shane specializes in court cases against collectors.