Make the collector prove it
Debts get sold, resold, and re-aged; paperwork gets lost; balances get inflated with unauthorized fees. Under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and California's Rosenthal Act, you have the right to demand validation — and collectors who can't substantiate a debt must stop collecting it.
Itkin Law prepares validation demands with legal precision, analyzes what comes back, and holds collectors to the statute. When a collector violates the law — false statements, harassment, collecting the wrong amount — those violations carry statutory damages and attorney's fees, which shifts the leverage to you.
What we do
- Debt validation demands under the FDCPA and Rosenthal Act
- Disputes of inaccurate, inflated, or time-barred debts
- Defense of debt collection lawsuits, including debt-buyer suits
- FDCPA and Rosenthal Act violation claims against collectors
- Credit reporting disputes under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
- Identity theft and mistaken-identity debt claims
- Negotiated settlements and pay-for-delete agreements
- Personal guarantee and business debt validation for owners
Sued by a debt buyer? Move fast
Debt buyers file thousands of suits expecting default judgments — they often can't prove chain of title or the balance when someone actually fights. A timely answer and targeted discovery frequently produce dismissals or steep settlements. If you've been served, the deadline to respond is short: bring us the paperwork now.
Common questions
What is debt validation?
It's your legal right to make a debt collector substantiate a debt — the amount, the original creditor, and their authority to collect. A proper validation demand within 30 days of a collector's first notice requires them to stop collecting until they respond.
What happens if a collector can't validate the debt?
They must cease collection. If they keep calling, sue, or report the debt to credit bureaus anyway, they may owe you statutory damages and your attorney's fees under the FDCPA and Rosenthal Act.
Can a business owner use debt validation?
Consumer statutes cover personal debts, but California's Rosenthal Act and general contract defenses give owners tools for personal guarantees and mixed-use debts. We assess which protections apply in the free consultation.
