March 2010 Cohen & Slamowitz. Never served me! and after being advised that I don't live at an address, they served the current resident on their next visited. they then obtained a default judgment for an out of stat account in which I have requested a copy of the contract on numerous occasions.. I'm filing a complaint with the NY AG and in it I included all of your comments. They are no longer tolerating rouge agencies and hopefully we'll see justice! If a class action has already in progress please make me aware of it.
March 2009 just got finished today with my final trial with Cohen & Slamowitz who represented Midland Funding. If anyone gets a letter from these horrible bottom feeders, please don't ignore it. If you know you owe the debt work it out with them. If you don't owe it as I didn't, check with your local county clerk office to see if you have been named in a summons. I was never served but fortunately I came to this site and read other posts and checked and waylayed there was a summons with me as a defendant. As this started with Midland in 2007, I asked many times for proof of debt. I received nothing. I did receive a letter from C&S that client had given them the go ahead to sue, but never received a summons. That is why I kept checking with county clerk in NYC. Luckily I had the chance to catch this and answered that this was a fraud issue and I had no knowledge of debt. First appearance they had no paperwork to support the claim and judge bound it over to trial. I didn't understand this as I think it should have been dismissed but the judge explained that they need the chance to prove although she clearly saw this as fraud. The debt was not on my credit report and I had an existing account with the original creditor that was in good standing. So from there I filled out fraud papers, and be aware I have no idea who opened this account and because of that they wanted to pursue to trial in hopes I wouldn't show up. I did and the judge made a ruling of discontinued with prejudice. C&S wanted it ruled without prejudice which means they can come after me again or sell it to someone who can come after me. The judge said NO. Thank god. What I have learned is that these people have no proof if the debt is in question. So if you get a letter from them and it is an out of statute debt or you have no knowledge of it, don't let it go! Fight it with all you have, ask for proof and if they don't send it to you, then let them know that you are willing to settle in court. KEEP ALL DOCUMENTS! They are not attorneys they hire people to stand in court that receive your files the night before. Good Luck!
January 2009 Liars, dirt bags and illegal debt collection agency. They sent me a 2008 summons for an out of statute of limitations $5K debt from 2001. I immediately went to an attorney and he requested validation and left multiple phone calls. Cohen and Slamowitz never responded. In May of 2008, I found out about a sneaky judgment they filed on me in NYS court without my knowledge. I have been trying to resolve this for over a year now to great frustration. My life was thrown into upheaval by the events of 9/11 and I have been working very hard on my credit for the last 8 years. I would now have perfect credit except for these very low life attorneys/collection agencies. I cannot get a car, sell my home nor even have a bank account due to this public judgment.
January 2009 On March 8, 2008 they got a judgment against me for Capital One Bank. Since that time I haven't paid this judgment with Cohen & Slamowitz LLP because I'm paying on another judgment that came before Cohen & Slamowitz LLP from another court in Onondaga County. Cohen & Slamowitz LLP has since requested a wage garnishment for their judgment for Capital One Bank. I have sent them a certified letter and a return receipt to Cohen & Slamowitz LLP that I'm paying on another judgment without any wage garnishment from my employer and in New York State that you can only pay on one judgment at a time and they can only take 10% from your wages for a judgment in New York State as well. If Cohen & Slamowitz LLP gets away with the wage garnishment from my employer I will be paying 20% for two judgments in New York State more than the state allows. Disgusted with Cohen & Slamowitz LLP and the practices that these two deal with. Cohen & Slamowitz LLP can just get in line and abide by the New York State Law seeing that these two individuals are ATTORNEYS! When you are paying on one judgment you have to wait until that judgment has been taken care of before you start to pay on the next judgment (if you have another one to speak of-not everybody has more than one). Again, Cohen & Slamowitz LLP should READ THE LAW ABOUT JUDGMENTS IN NEW YORK STATE SEEING THAT THEY PRACTICE IN NEW YORK STATE. Considering about contacting the Attorney General in New York State regarding my matter about Cohen & Slamowitz LLP for the judgment that they want my employer for wage garnishment. Will do that today!
October 2008 In May 2008 I went to the bank and my account was frozen. The bank told me to contact Cohen & Slamowitz. I never received a letter, subpoena, phone call nothing. I was paying Discover Bank, I had made a agreement with them, they were taking my money, and then this. I had 15 checks bounce because of these people. I paid them off because they would not release my account. These people are obviously violating several laws.
October 2008
This firm sent me letters alleging that I owe their client
money. I have tried to validate this debt several times to
no avail. If they lender cannot validate the debt, I have to
assume it is fraudulent.
I was never served but found out about the action. They
taped it to the door of my old house where I DON'T live.
This is a matter of public record; the house has been sold.
So I filed a motion to dismiss. The thing is, the lawyers
that closed the deal for the sale of the house described the
method of service in correspondence a letter. So I have
proof of crappy service. These people suck!
July 2008 So my battle with Cohen and scumowitz started in late November. I went to check on my Bank account and it was frozen. i never received a single paper or notice it was just frozen. I contacted the bank, they told me Cohen and slamowitz had provided them with paperwork of a default judgment. I had never received any documents. This time they had messed with the wrong guy. I am currently going to Law School, so i have a slew of recently graduated Alumni who had just passed the bar aching to win their first big case along with dozens of professors of Law who all new me by name and loved me. They were basically screwed. After talking with a few professors I got the name of a local alumni who used to actually be a debt collector and had decided to go into law to stop people like Cohen and scumowitz, Best part is that he is PIT-BULL. he helped me put together paper work and we submitted it to the court where they had gotten the default judgment. for a long time we didn't think they had received any of the paperwork because they weren't responding to the complaint. Well the day before the answer was due in they overnighted us the paperwork . It was the sloppiest piece of crap I had ever seen. They didn't respond to any of our assertions and they argued that even if the affidavit of service was false it was still okay. WHAT? oh yeah they affidavit of service described me a small chubby Mexican fellow because I have a Spanish sounding last name, well i'm tall blonde and blue eyed. anyway the judge called basically wrote and order that pointed out what incompetent lawyers they are and the fact that they openly lied to the court. He vacated the judgment and sent the US Marshals to collect the money they took from back. My lawyer and I have since filed in federal court to sue them for violations of the Fair debt Collection Act. The best part is they were served by the US Marshals office and have as of yet not responded to the complaint. SO we just sent in paperwork to have a DEFAULT JUDGMENT declared against Cohen.
2007 My Legal battle with Cohen and Scumowitz has been well chronicled on these pages for the past year. But what happened in my 6th Court appearance shocked me. I was told by the Judge on 7/27 that the case would be prepared for trial. Man was I ready for a fight, I was ready to go all out . I was told that if C&S wasn't ready to proceed on the next court date the case would be dismissed. Imagine my confusion when the Judge called my case and told me C&S decided to pull the case from the calendar and not proceed any further. By doing this it means the case can come back to haunt me until the 7 years is up. They can sell it to another company to try and collect on it. Bring me back to court in 2 years if they want or just let it sit on my credit report until it expires. However I was told by the Judge they would have to file a new application and provide documentation to restart the case especially in the same county where we already began. I'm looking into action now through the DA's office but they don't really get involved in civil matters.
The only thing I can tell other
readers of this letter is:
1) C&S will never provide the Court with documentation to
win a case ALWAYS, ALWAYS fight the suit.
2) If you ever get anything with their name on it, be
prepared to find out 1 or more of your accounts are frozen
somewhere someday, checking, savings etc.
3) They have nooooooooo problem falsifying Court Documents
because they find a local Attorney to do their dirty work
and they don't mind making him look bad ,incompetent, etc.
You will never see them, they wont show. You'll battle some
settlement Attorney who wants to offer you a deal you will
think is great but when you hear all the fine print you'll
think twice. When you agree to these settlements with these
types of Attorneys you find out if you are late say 5- 10
days. They do away with the agreement, your responsible for
the full amount of the debt, court fees, lawyer fee,
collection fees, maybe even stamp fees. It's easier to stand
there and try and let them prove the debt. Never ever agree
to settle.
2007 I owed about $6,000 on a credit card. I never received any subpoena and the next thing I know is they froze my ex-husband's acct. because my SSN was still on file in the bank. I have no access to this acct. and now my ex-husband is furious because this is my debt. I don't know what to do I have not worked in 27 yrs. and have no income except for child support. The bank never notified my ex-husband or anything. He just went to cash a check this weekend and the account was frozen.
2007 On August 20, I received a notice from Cohen and Slamowitz dated July 18. In it I was advised that they were retained by Capital One to collect a $4200 debt that I owe. On August 20th I mailed a letter to them advising that they had the wrong mailing address to start with and requested debt validation. Today I was served with a summons to appear in court! I will be going in to dispute this today! These guys are scumbags to the lowest order and I will be fighting this tooth and nail. HELP! Can't help. When you call 9 1 1 and block your number and won't tell them your address, they can't come assist you. if you ask for help, leave a way to reach you.
2007 I know that I shouldn't be amazed by
the liars at Cohen & Slamowitz, but I am. They depend on
sewer service. They never "nail and mail" and then claim
that they did. Thank God, for their sloppy paperwork and
their fraudulent dates trying to cover their tracts. If you
gt blessed with Cohen & Slamowitz make sure that you get
over to the County Clerk's office and check out your file.
If anyone knows of an attorney or investigators
investigating Cohen & Slamowitz's fraud, please let me know.
I would like to add my case to their file.
2007 Last night I was visited by Detectives from my local District Attorneys Office. Apparently they are investigating Cohen and Scumowitz, and Capital Process Servers. They were especially interested to hear about the default judgment that they received against me. Seems C & S is more concerned about just getting the default judgment and worrying about fighting the "motion to vacate". When I found out I defaulted on a suit I was unaware existed and filed a motion to vacate their default judgment against me they sent the Court 30 something pages of cases and why it shouldn't be overturned but once the Judge did overturn it they have since has yet to produce 1 single paper to prove their case against me. If you ever get any piece of paper with the name Cohen and Slamowitz on it. It's safe to assume that one day your going to find out your bank account is frozen , the Court documents will be false, the person they claim to have served you will no longer work for that company. But rest assured the proper authorities are on to them and hopefully justice will be served
2007 I am yet another backdoor victim of Cohen and Slamowitz with their constant harassment, fake paperwork, incomplete supposed court papers, hundreds of phone calls. They have frozen my bank account, funny part is I am so poor the only reason for the account was to direct deposit the wife's disability check and immediately pay our mortgage. So the fool got a whole 13 dollars. BUT, they shouldn't have even gotten that because it was all Disability money. The bank has frozen my account for twice what they claim I owe and I ask myself, What exactly is it I owe seeing that every last piece of mail from them has a different debt balance. The credit card, from capital one had a 10,000 dollar limit. They got a judgment for almost 13 thousand. I didn't even know there was a court date so how could I attend to debunk their charges??? They are crooked, they are evil and dirty, underhanded and I wish there was a way to stop these people in their tracks. There has got to be a way. The court systems MUST be aware of their tactics, Yet, they allow them to get these judgments without raising a concern. I am beyond angry now, closer to postal. I am a sick man and they are causing me more grief than my life is actually worth. If there is such a huge outpouring of complaints, how do they continue with the same game plan over and over??? One wonders what pushes some people over the edge and into a corner...Cohen and slamowitz are one prime example. The very best advice I, as a victim can offer is the very first time you get anything with their names on it, get a lawyer immediately, if you can't afford one, go to legal aide, PLEASE don't think this pile of human excrement will ever dry up and blow away as I made the mistake of doing. Now I am playing hardball catch-up and it just might be too late for me.
2007 This agency is strictly a paper agency. They are Attorneys well at least 1 of them is. Everyone else just does paper work. Recently I found out I defaulted on a law suit they filled against me. Hard to show up to answer a complaint when you never know your being sued. They are liars, falsifiers of Court Documents.
They are hired by big companies to file and collect on suits. Cohen and Slamowitz then sub contract the case to a local settlement Attorney who will try and intimidate you into settling. Fortunately for me I took the advise I read on this web site and told the settlement goon to take a hike. If he wants money from me he's going to have to prove his case. Guess what?? Since Oct. he has yet to produce a single document.
Recently I filled my own complaints
with the NYS Attorney Generals office and my local District
Attorney's Office about the falsified documents. I also have
sent some belittling letters to the original company stating
that if they want to know why they haven't gotten their
money yet maybe they should find a real Attorney's Office.
People please do your homework don't be intimidated by these
low life's. Go before the Judge tell him you've disputed
this debt and have yet to receive a single piece of paper.
Tell him you want to see proof of the debt and have time to
review it with an Attorney.( this will get you about 3
months to plan your next move) As long as they don't show
the documents, and they wont because they DON'T have them..
KEEP DENYING THE DEBT.
I intend to send a cake to both Cohen and Slamowitz, and the
original creditor come next October to celebrate to
anniversary of the lawsuit they will never win.
2007 in October of 2006, I tried to
activate a direct deposit payroll account with a large,
leading commercial bank and was told that there was a
judgment against me for $990.00. After checking my credit
report I leaned that said judgment was held by a Dallas,
Texas company called Colorado Capital Investments. This was
for an old Providian Visa card account of $200.00 which I
paid in early September 2002. I contacted this firm and
requested proof from them this debt was still outstanding,
(it isn't) but received nothing. In December 2006, this firm
ceased operations.
In February 2007, I received a letter from Cohen & Slamowitz
(just in time for tax refund season) advising I owed
$1,053.00 (from the original Providian debt). I asked them
to explain how a $200.00 debt balloons to $1,053.00. I
advised them that I had already been to court an had the
judgment vacated, and not to contact me again. They demanded
I provide them with the documentation. I refused, saying
that if they had don't their homework, and had not been so
money-hungry, they would see they had no cause to contact me
at all. Now I continue to receive recorded messages from to
contact their office "regarding an important business
matter". I contacted them requesting they forward me proof
of the debt in writing (they won't because they have none).
As they have not sent me evidence, I now just delete their
mechanical phone messages.
2007 My wife and myself have been trying to get original documentation from this agency for the last 3 or 4 months. Every time we receive a letter from them, it simply states the original creditor is Midland Management. My wife has never had any dealings with MM. They just called this morning, and they wanted to talk about a "suit" filed against her. We have yet to receive anything from them, but they refuse to listen. We have done everything to the T, requested documentation, disputed the account etc. . . but there seems to be no end to these people calling. I used to work collections, and called them out on crossing the line with their TO's, but they don't even care about that. I don't know if we should wait for them to actually file for suit and show, or. . ? All we're asking for is something with her signature on this and know who/what the original creditor is. Seems simple to me, but I highly doubt they have the info, and that's why we're not getting it.
2007 I posted previously about C&S and concerned that I was falling into a trap. I was given a payment agreement, but before it kicked in, I received enough money to pay the entire balance. I did so online and called the company with the confirmation number and to make sure they would send the paid in full letter. I received the PIF by next day mail and the account was updated on my credit report. I am the last to speak highly of a debt collection agency, but to be fair, they were very easy to work with and each person I spoke to was very pleasant. I hope others can have this experience.
2007 First and foremost I want to thank you for the advise you have given me, personally and through your web site. I want to update you and your readers on an on going case with Cohen and Scumowitz. First off I want every reader to know that if you receive a notice from them. Dispute the debt but be wise spend the 4 bucks and send it certified mail....chances are you will never hear from them again.......UNTIL...... the trusty day you get a letter from your bank that your assets are now frozen. I recommend going to the local Civil Court (if possible) periodically after receiving a notice from Cohen and Scumowitz to check if a suit was filed against you. Most Courts Clerks Offices have computers where you can type your name in as a defendant and see if anything comes up against you. If it does you immediately need to ask the clerk how you answer the complaint. C & S are the best at securing Default Judgments against you. They are Lawyers who's job it is to make sure every "i" is dotted, every "T" is crossed. They will most likely assign you an Alias (A.K.A.), OR never serve you with papers informing you of the suit. You see they want to get the "Default Judgment" so they can lock up your assets FIRST then worry about the rest. They will lie, file false documents anything to secure your money first. They will say you were served by "Capital Process Servers" who called you 3 times, came to your house taped the subpoena to your door, confirmed your address with either a Jane or John Doe, and then mailed the notice to you. If you contact Capital for Information the immediately tell you the person who claims to have served you no longer works there.
Getting your Default Judgment cleared is not easy, but it's not that hard either. I sat in Court less than an hour. But here's where it gets tricky. See the Lawyers at C & S never leave the Office they are pencil pushers and ONLY pencil pushers. They pay the Court Lawyers to represent them. They are the people who sit there and handle 20 different cases a day for various Companies and Law Firms. I assumed they wouldn't show at the vacate hearing but they contracted that Lawyer to handle it for them. He didn't say much, I denied the debt, not a word about the server. The Attorney offered me a settlement I refused. Judge restored the case to the calendar but held my money as security. I really thought that once the case was restored to the calendar C &S would disappear, reading that they are horrible document keepers. But seeing that they used the Court Attorney I'm not feeling so secure any more. But I'm getting what I wanted and that was my fair day in Court without feeling I lost without a fight at all.
2007 ALSO KNOWN AS GEMINI & EMPIRE PORTFOLIOS INC. SENDING OUT SUMMONS TO COURT WITH NO DATES TO APPEAR, DOING A CAVALRY AND MEL HARRIS TRICK.........DONE TODAY TO MY FRIEND IN UTICA, NY. SHE CALLED TO ASK ME TO LOOK UP IN BUD HIBBS AND SEE WHAT HE SAID. ROTTEN SOB'S WHY DO THE COURTS LET THEM DO THIS WHEN ITS NOT LEGAL. PHONY SUMMONS NO DATES SO YOU DON'T APPEAR. I TOLD HER TO GO TO THE COURT WITH THAT DOCUMENT