Illinois Debtors Thrown In Jail: Lisa Madigan Working To Stop Debt Collector Arrest Warrants

And I think this officially makes this "recession" a "depression". W.O.W.

 

Illinois Debtors Thrown In Jail: Lisa Madigan Working To Stop Debt Collector Arrest Warrants

Debtors Prison Madigan

First Posted: 12/12/11 09:26 PM ET Updated: 12/13/11 05:32 AM ET

 

Some Illinois residents struggling to pay off their debt have yet another thing to worry about: getting thrown in jail.

As WBEZ reports, creditors in the state have figured out ways around laws that preve..., and the number of people being issued arrest warrants linked to unpaid bills is growing. Collection agencies can reportedly file a lawsuit requiring a court appearance, and if the defendant doesn't show up for their hearing, an arrest warrant can be issued.

The practice has been happening more often in a stagnant economy, and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wants to do something about it.

"We can no longer allow debt collectors to pervert the courts," Madigan told the Wall Street Journal, adding that some victims of this practice were thrown in jail witho... due to misleading or sloppy paperwork submitted to the court by debt collectors.

NPR spoke to one Illinois woman who was shocked to learn that a warrant...:

Take, for example, what happened to Robin Sanders in Illinois.

She was driving home when an officer pulled her over for having a loud muffler. But instead of sending her off with a warning, the officer arrested Sanders, and she was taken right to jail.

"That's when I found out [that] I had a warrant for failure to appear in Macoupin County. And I didn't know what it was about."

Sanders owed $730 on a medical bill. She says she didn't even know a collection agency had filed a lawsuit against her.

Vivian Joy, 53, told the Wall Street Journal she was handcuffed and taken to jail in Champaign, Ill. over a $2,200 debt to Champaign Heights Finance Corp.

"They cuffed me in front of my kids. That was terrifying," Joy, who is unemployed, told the paper. She said she was unaware of a lawsuit or arrest warrant until she was pulled over for a broken taillight.

Kevin Kelly with the Illinois Creditors Bar Association told WBEZ that creditors don't want to send people to jail, but feel they have no other options.

"So we’ve got five notices that have already gone out either by personally serving them or that have gone out by mail, five separate notices. And we’ve received absolutely no response to any of them. I’m not certain what more we can do," he told the station

"We hear time and again from the legal aid lawyers who ultimately find out often about these people when they're in jail that people didn't even know there was a lawsuit against them, let alone a judgment had been entered," Madigan told WBEZ. Her office is investigating agencies that may be abusing the law, and said judges need to be fully aware of debtors' rights before such hearings.

Madigan said such practices could lead to modern-day debtors' prisons, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation hopes to ban the practice altogether next year.

Arrest warrants for debtors are "flourishing statewide," Madigan told the Wall Street Journal, but Illinois is not alone. The paper reports that judges in nine counties across the country have signed off on 5,000 debt-related warrants since 2010.

Tags: Are, bills, paid, your

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Permalink Reply by Siren on December 13, 2011 at 12:58pm

This is real...this happened to my dad last year. He was pulled over for a traffic stop. Had a warant for a medical bill they arrested him . Mind you he has been unemployed for 2+ years. These people are vicious.

Permalink Reply by CCD is Workin on a baller 4 she on December 13, 2011 at 2:33pm

Gat...damn!

Siren said:

This is real...this happened to my dad last year. He was pulled over for a traffic stop. Had a warant for a medical bill they arrested him . Mind you he has been unemployed for 2+ years. These people are vicious.

Permalink Reply by Baller Alert on December 13, 2011 at 2:42pm

If people can't pay their bills.. what makes the collection agencies think they can pay court fees, etc?

Permalink Reply by CCD is Workin on a baller 4 she on December 13, 2011 at 2:58pm

I hadn't even thought of that! And if you are unemployed how are you suppose to pay the bill and the court fees? Which will just lead to even more jail overcrowding. Didn't think this is through at all on the judicial side.

Baller Alert said:

If people can't pay their bills.. what makes the collection agencies think they can pay court fees, etc?

Permalink Reply by DJ - A.K.A - DON_JUAN on December 13, 2011 at 3:13pm

yea this s*** want last long....luckily its only in illinois......or is it?? lol

Baller Alert said:

If people can't pay their bills.. what makes the collection agencies think they can pay court fees, etc?

Permalink Reply by Siren on December 13, 2011 at 3:34pm

No not just Illinois Colorado and a few other states as well

DJ - A.K.A - DON_JUAN said:

yea this s*** want last long....luckily its only in illinois......or is it?? lol
Baller Alert said:

If people can't pay their bills.. what makes the collection agencies think they can pay court fees, etc?

Permalink Reply by DJ - A.K.A - DON_JUAN on December 13, 2011 at 4:09pm

oh ok...dont think its in texas cuz i sued a collection agency for something when i was like 18 and got a couple stacks out of it lol. (creditor harrassment)

Siren said:

No not just Illinois Colorado and a few other states as well

DJ - A.K.A - DON_JUAN said:

yea this s*** want last long....luckily its only in illinois......or is it?? lol
Baller Alert said:

If people can't pay their bills.. what makes the collection agencies think they can pay court fees, etc?

Permalink Reply by OLD $PICE PINE NEEDLE on December 13, 2011 at 9:53pm

Is this legal?????

Permalink Reply by Jay on December 14, 2011 at 7:51am

If they keep doing that people, then people who don't want to end up in jail may turn to crime or worse borrown money from shifty money lenders which could make the situation worse. Sometimes I feel like the government wipe out people who are not earning well enough.

Permalink Reply by CCD is Workin on a baller 4 she on December 14, 2011 at 8:33am

$picey, what they are doing is issuing a warrant for failure to appear in court. That is legal. But most of the people said they never received notice to appear.

OLD $PICE PINE NEEDLE said:

Is this legal?????

Permalink Reply by Baller Alert on December 14, 2011 at 9:08am

If they don't serve you where you sign for the  notice then I think it's illegal to do this...

Permalink Reply by Siren on December 14, 2011 at 9:23am

they sent my Dad the notice in a regular bill collector envelope...grimey muthalovas

Baller Alert said:

If they don't serve you where you sign for the  notice then I think it's illegal to do this...

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