| Volume 114 Number 7 |
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Forward this news alert to your family and friends
Helpful Links
Texas Consumer Complaint Center
Credit Reports and Identity Theft
Your Guide to Small Claims Court
Contact Us
1-713-743-2168
The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Texas is a non-judicial foreclosure state, so your mortgage company does not need to get court approval before they foreclose on your home for non-payment. Because of this, if you are having trouble paying your mortgage, it is a good idea to get assistance as soon as possible. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a good resource for foreclosure assistance. Click here for more.
Study Shows Many Women Not Receiving Lifesaving Cancer Treatment
A recent study showed that only 41% of women with ovarian cancer eligible for a type of chemotherapy delivered directly to the affected area were receiving the treatment. Since research shows that the treatment can increase the survival rate for people with the cancer by 10%, the National Cancer Institute has issued a recommendation that doctors use the treatment. The study showed that despite this, many doctors and eligible patients were not pursuing the treatment.
Click here for more.
Your Money
The numbers tell us that the payoff of a college education over a lifetime is clear. Unfortunately, as college costs keep rising, most students (or their parents) find they need to take out loans to make the investment in their futures. This article discusses the ways that some colleges are helping students to keep their debt manageable. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Filing a proof of claim on a time-barred debt is not, alone, a prohibited debt collection practice under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The United States Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit held that since the inclusion of a debt in a bankruptcy petition is essentially an invitation to the creditor to file a proof of claim, the mere filing of such a proof of claim, even for a time barred but otherwise valid debt, is not a violation of the FDCPA. The Eighth Circuit declined to follow the Eleventh Circuit’s recent decision in Crawford v. LVNV Funding LLC 758 F.3d 1254 (11th Cir. 2014) which reached a contrary conclusion. Gatewood v. CP Medical LLC (8th Cir. 2015). Click here for more.