Solomon and Solomon, P.C. (S&S) is a New York-based law firm that specializes in third-party debt collection. S&S has received consumer complaints alleging violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) such as failure to verify debts and attempting to collect debts not owed. If you have been contacted by Solomon and Solomon, make sure you understand your rights before responding.
The harassing company pays our fees.
They’re legit. According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Solomon & Solomon, P.C. was founded in 1966 and incorporated in 1976. The BBB established its profile page in 1992. S&S is listed as a collection agency. Buzzfile estimates S&S’ annual revenue at $17.8 million, and the size of its headquarters staff at 200 people.
According to its website, Solomon and Solomon “is a full-service law firm concentrating in debt collection and litigation. S&S states that its mission is to “provide ‘simply the best’ collection and litigation services, ensuring long-lasting business relationships focused on performance and service…and built on integrity.”
As a full-service collection agency, Solomon and Solomon offers early-out, pre-charge off, primary, secondary, and tertiary collections and judgment enforcement. S&S carries out these services with “a professional staff of debt collectors, skip tracers, and asset locators; a fully integrated state-of-the-art call management system with a sophisticated predictive dialer and significant expansion capability; an innovative and customized letter series; strategic account scoring and data mining; credit bureau reporting; extensive high volume processing capabilities; advanced skip tracing techniques; night and weekend staff; and professional on-site training.”
S&S’ litigation division “uses the most appropriate and cost-effective legal methods to collect delinquent receivables… in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.” S&S employs “an impressive network of forwarding attorneys” for cases outside these areas. S&S also litigates bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings.
Solomon and Solomon “serves numerous clients representing a variety of industries, including, but not limited to: telecommunications, utilities, banking, credit card litigation, higher education, and subrogation.” S&S has posted on their site a general legal disclaimer, but they do not provide information about regulatory compliance or any references or links to consumer protection resources, laws, or enforcement agencies.
Who are we? We are Lemberg Law, a Consumer Law Firm
Lemberg Law is a consumer law firm helping victims of collection harassment and abuse. We are ranked A+ by the BBB. We’ve helped more than 15,000 consumers stop harassment and recover money from debt collectors. Harassed? Abused? Misled by a collector? Call our Helpline today! There is no charge unless we win.
The BBB has closed 25 complaints against Solomon and Solomon, P.C. in the past three years, with 11 closed in the past 12 months. All those complaints allege problems with billing and collections. Since May 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has received 33 complaints about S&S. Justia lists at least 5 cases of civil litigation involving Solomon and Solomon.
Solomon and Solomon, P.C.
Five Columbia Circle
Albany, New York 12203
Telephone: (800) 259-6723
Website: https://www.solomonpc.com/
It is illegal for a debt collector to make empty threats to sue you or garnish your wages. It is also unlikely Solomon and Solomon would sue you for a debt you may not owe or they cannot validate. However, debt collection agencies are known to have summoned debtors to court and garnish wages after a default judgement. Contacting an attorney BEFORE this could possibly happen would be a smart move. We’ve helped thousands of consumers fight back against unscrupulous debt collection harassers. Find out if we can help you too today!
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Unlawful Debt Harassment? Learn the Law & Sue the Collector.
Absolutely. You can sue a debt collector. Here is a Sample Case Filed in Federal Court:
In January 2014, in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, a judge issued an Opinion in a case alleging Solomon and Solomon, P.C had violated provisions of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). In this case, the plaintiffs had taken out a student loan through the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESSA) in the amount of $20,000. At some point, they defaulted on the loan, and HESSA sent the loan to S&S for collection. The collection agreement between HESSA and S&S stated that S&S “agreed to handle all accounts referred…on a contingent fee basis, with the fee to be calculated on the basis of monies collected… from debtors referred…by HESAA for handling.” The fee between the two parties was set at 22%.
Solomon and Solomon sent letters to the plaintiffs on September 13 and September 14, 2012. The September 13 letter stated, in part, that the “amount due as of 9/13/2012 is $25,385.66,” and that, “attorney fees of 22% of the claim referred are due to the State pursuant to the terms of the note(s) and NJ Regulation 9A: 10-6.16(b).” The September 24 letter was in response to a dispute by the plaintiffs’ attorney and stated that “that the amount demanded included $4,561.25, representing ‘22% of the amount of unpaid principal and interest referred to our office.’”
The plaintiffs’ complaint centered on Solomon and Solomon’s statement of the amount due. S&S had agreed to accept the debt on a contingency basis, and that they were entitled to collect a 22% fee on monies collected. When the letters were sent, no monies had yet been collected. The plaintiffs cited a violation of the FDCPA prohibitions against “false deceptive, or misleading representations by alleging that the collection letters demanded an amount which included attorneys’ fees not yet accrued and by alleging that the collection letters asserted that HESAA was legally entitled to collection cost of 22% of the ‘claim referred,’” rather than only 22% of the total collected. In addition, they claimed a violation of the prohibition against “unfair or unconscionable means to collect a debt, again by alleging that the collection letters demanded an amount which included attorneys’ fees not yet accrued and…based on the value of the ‘claim referred.’”
Solomon and Solomon, P.C argued that the plaintiffs were being too precise in their reading of the collection letter. The court upheld the plaintiffs’ charges, but dismissed their motion to certify the case a class action and their requests for injunctive and declaratory relief.
Federal laws protect you. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) regulates the behavior of collection agencies by prohibiting actions such as the use of abusive or threatening language; harassment; or the use of false or misleading information to collect a debt. The FCRA regulates how collection agencies and creditors report delinquent debts to credit reporting agencies. Additional consumer protection laws include the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA).
Yes. If you want to enforce your rights, or recover money for violations — you need to sue. Federal laws provide individuals like you with a means to seek monetary damages in court. For example, the FDCPA allows consumers who have been violated to recover damages of up to $1,000, plus attorney fees and court costs.
You may have a case, if…
“Thank you and your staff for the exceptional work you did on my behalf in dealing with a debt collector. I’ve not experienced the level of professionalism, care, timeliness in follow-through, and financial compensation obtained through your firm.”
“I won’t be afraid to contact you or recommend your services to others for debt collection difficulties. Please keep up the outstanding work you do, and again, thank you for helping me through this challenging time. I am most grateful.”
“I did not realize I’d be getting any money from this wretched affair. I’m taken aback by what you have achieved in my behalf.”
We can absolutely help. Call us today.
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Sergei Lemberg is an attorney focusing on consumer law, class actions related to automotive issues, and personal injury litigation. With nearly two decades of experience, his areas of practice include Lemon Law (vehicle defects), Debt Collection Harassment, TCPA (illegal robocalls and texts), Fair Credit Reporting Act, Overtime claims, Personal Injury cases, and Class Actions. He has consistently been recognized as the nation's "most active consumer attorney." In 2020, Mr. Lemberg represented Noah Duguid before the United States Supreme Court in the landmark case Duguid v. Facebook. He is also the author of "Defanging Debt Collectors," a guide that empowers consumers to fight back against debt collectors and prevail, as well as "Lemon Law 101: The Laws That Lemon Dealers Don't Want You to Know."
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i have received a letter from hessa demanding payment of tged full amount of a loan my son took out for grad school. he is 32 years old and gainfully employed. i am 68 years,old and retired on a fixed income. why are they demanding payment from me rather than garnishing his wages?
i payed a debt off recently that you have in my name it is still on my credit report i would like it taken off