[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/a-debtors-bill-of-rights\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/a-debtors-bill-of-rights\/","headline":"A Debtor’s Bill of Rights?","name":"A Debtor’s Bill of Rights?","description":"Debtors often feel as though they have no choice but to give in to whatever it is debt collectors are demanding.\u00a0Incessant phone calls, mailboxes full of demand letters, and, ultimately, collections lawsuits can make your days and nights miserable.\u00a0But they don\u2019t have to be. Even if you owe someone money,\u00a0you have rights. If debt collectors […]","datePublished":"2020-02-25","dateModified":"2025-11-27","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/author\/briane-pagel\/#Person","name":"Briane Pagel","url":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/author\/briane-pagel\/","identifier":29,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/457ef237bf76f8939a4550b2f672b542659ac99ac598d97e10a760eb25488c45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/457ef237bf76f8939a4550b2f672b542659ac99ac598d97e10a760eb25488c45?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"LawtonCates, S.C.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/lawtoncates-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/lawtoncates-logo.png","width":438,"height":73}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/lawton-cates-attorneys.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/lawton-cates-attorneys.jpg","width":694,"height":550},"url":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/a-debtors-bill-of-rights\/","about":["Debt"],"wordCount":379,"articleBody":"Debtors often feel as though they have no choice but to give in to whatever it is debt collectors are demanding.\u00a0Incessant phone calls, mailboxes full of demand letters, and, ultimately, collections lawsuits can make your days and nights miserable.\u00a0But they don\u2019t have to be.Even if you owe someone money,\u00a0you have rights. If debt collectors violate those rights, you can\u00a0turn the tables on them and sue them for damages.A variety of state and federal laws protect you from harassment and allow you to get information about your debts to determine if you even owe the money they claim you do.\u00a0 Contact Attorney Pagel and our team of dedicated lawyers to find out how to\u00a0enforce your rights, often at no cost to you.Some of your rights are:You have the right to be\u00a0free from harassment. Collectors should not call you before 8 am, after 9 p.m., and if you tell them other times they should not call,\u00a0they have to listen to you. They can\u2019t call you at work if your work doesn\u2019t allow them to do so. They can\u2019t call your cell phone if you tell them not to.You have the right to\u00a0request proof that you actually owe the money they say you do. If you demand that a collector validate or verify the debt, the collector has to do so \u2013\u00a0before taking any other action.You have the right to\u00a0have a court determine whether you are in default or if you even owe any money at all.\u00a0Debt collectors have to\u00a0prove\u00a0you owe the money, and to do that they have to produce records showing how much you owe, and prove that they complied with the law in trying to collect the debt.Best of all, if debt collectors violate any of these rights \u2013 or the many others you have \u2013 you can sue them to avoid paying them any money and collect damages, and can possibly do so without paying anything to our attorneys!Our lawyers have collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages for our clients from debt collectors who cross the line into harassing behavior.\u00a0Stop being afraid to answer the phone or read the mail. Call our lawyers now."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Debtor’s Bill of Rights?","item":"https:\/\/www.lawtoncates.com\/blog\/a-debtors-bill-of-rights\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]