We have been attempting to contact attorneys at Mann Bracken for weeks with no luck. In fact all the phone numbers and email addresses are now turned off.
It is being widely reported here and here that Mann Bracken is closed.
Note that as of this date, Mann Bracken has not entered bankruptcy and is still in good standing. That means they can possibly still be sued…
If you have been sued by Mann Bracken and are having issues, please call our law office at (214) 552-6647.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently lowered the maximum charge for a second credit report. Now consumers can only be charged $10.50 rather than $11.00 for a second credit report. Consumers are allowed to pull their first free credit report from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion at www.annualcreditreport.com . It is important that consumers check their credit report at least once per year before they start their own credit repair . Consumers can find how to repair their own credit at Free Credit Repair.
From the FTC press release:
During this time of economic distress, the FTC reminds consumers that this charge does not apply to the first free copy of their credit report that consumers are entitled to request from each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – once every 12 months through www.annualcreditreport.com. For details, see “Your Access to Free Credit Reports” at ftc.gov/credit. Consumers are also entitled to a free report when a company takes adverse action against them (such as denying an application for credit, insurance, or employment) within 60 days of receiving notice of the action. In addition, consumers are entitled to one free report a year if they are unemployed and plan to look for a job within 60 days; they are on welfare; or their report is inaccurate because of fraud, including identity theft.
Before starting to repair your own credit you may want to consult with a consumer credit attorney to discuss your legal options. Texas and California residents can contact Henley & Henley Credit Law at (214) 552-6647.
Can an out of state debt collection attorney sue me? This is a common question that I get asked a lot.
In general, it is unlikely.
First, an attorney has to be licensed in the state you are located in (or where the lawsuit will be filed) to sue you. You can check the states he is licensed in by looking at the letterhead. If it does not disclose other states where he is licensed you can deduce that he is only licensed in the state the letter came from. To verify this, you may want to go to your state’s bar page to see if the attorney is licensed in your state. We have links to all the states bar associations here.
Second, there is a cost factor. Most of the time it is not cost effective for an attorney to travel to show up for a trial. There would have to be a lot of money at stake(think hundreds of thousands and up) .
There are also a couple of caveats to this too. If you incurred the debt in another state and he is licensed there he may be able to sue you where you used to live. Also, it is common now for there to be a common network of collection attorneys that refer business to each other. RCAN is a great example of this.
If you do get served you should seek the advice of an attorney immediately. There are time restrictions on how long you have to respond to a lawsuit. If you do not you face a default judgment in the case and another blemish on your credit report.
If you are located in Texas or California, give us a call.
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