Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

They say nothing goes with PB quite like some Justice (or is it Jelly?).

Summary: Is CMRE Financial Services suing you for a debt? SoloSuit can help you take a stand and win in court.

If you are being subjected to harassing phone calls, emails, social media messages, letters, etc. by a debt collector with CMRE Financial Services, it is perfectly understandable to feel stressed, frustrated and anxious about the future. CMRE Financial Services, like many other debt collection companies, often utilize aggressive and abusive tactics to compel you to repay the debt you allegedly owe. That is why CMRE Financial Services may call you on your phone multiple times each day, try to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, or another social media platform, and they will probably send you threatening letters in the mail. In this article, SoloSuit tells you everything you should know about CMRE Financial Services and how to beat them in court.

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit: A Student Solution To Give Utah Debtors A Fighting Chance

Overview of CMRE Financial Services

CMRE Financial Services is a debt collection agency based in Brea, California. The company has been harassing consumers and collecting debts since 1974. The company describes itself as a “collection and accounts receivable management service for the healthcare industry.” Basically, this means they focus primarily on collecting unpaid medical debt.

CMRE Financial Services has received many complaints

The reputation of CMRE Financial Services is not good. Why? Because the debt collection agency has received numerous complaints filed by consumers who alleged the agency violated the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). For example, consumers have reported improper contact or sharing of information by debt collectors affiliated with CMRE Financial Services. In addition, consumers have reported being threatened by Phoenix Financial debt collectors with actions the agency could not actually take.

If you have received threatening emails, letters, and/or phone calls from CMRE Financial Services, do not fret. You have legal rights and can take affirmative steps to beat CMRE Financial Services with the help of the tools and insights offered by SoloSuit.

Solosuit has a simple mission: help consumers fight unethical debt collectors and their lawsuits. To help you and those like you, we put much time and energy into collecting vital information that can help you understand the processes associated with debt collection lawsuits. When you have this powerful information in your hands, you'll feel more in control against aggressive debt collection agencies like CMRE Financial Services.

Know your rights when CMRE Financial Services contacts you to collect a debt

CMRE Financial Services is known for attempting aggressive tactics against people who are unaware of their legal rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. The FDCPA states guidelines and rules that dictate how debt collectors can act. Some of the restrictions on companies like CMRE Financial Services include:

Debt collectors are not allowed to contact you at your place of employment
Debt collectors are prohibited from threatening you with a lawsuit
Debt collectors cannot contact you prior to 8:00 AM in the morning or after 9:00 PM at night.
Debt collectors cannot use rude or vulgar language when talking to you on the phone or in emails or texts.
Debt collectors cannot discuss your debt with anyone except you, your spouse, and your attorney.

Request a Debt Verification from CMRE Financial Services

During your communications with CMRE Financial Services debt collectors, make sure to request as much information as possible about the purported debt. Why? Because this information either will confirm the debt is yours or provide evidence that it is not actually owed by you.

First and foremost, request that CMRE Financial Services verify the debt. You can make this request by sending a Debt Validation Letter within 30 days of initial contact with the collector. When CMRE Financial Services receives a Debt Validation Letter, they are legally required to respond with a debt validation that contains the following information about the debt:

Name of the original creditor
Original amount owed
Date the debt was first incurred
Date the debt went into collection
Other information that would ostensibly connect you to the amount owed.

If CMRE Financial Services fails to provide you with a letter, or if it comes back with incomplete information, it could be an indication that either the debt is not legitimate or you are not the person who owes it.

Luckily, most debt collectors would rather give up on collection efforts than spend the time, money, and resources it may take to validate a debt. Often, collection agencies like CMRE Financial Services don't have the proper documentation they need to prove a debt is valid, so they just give up at this point. To learn more about how to make and send a Debt Validation Letter, check out this video:

You can make a Debt Validation Letter with SoloSuit in minutes.

You can defend yourself if CMRE Financial Services files a debt lawsuit against you

If CMRE Financial Services decides to file a debt collection lawsuit against you, do not ignore the suit in the hopes it will just go away. Why? Because the lawsuit will not just magically disappear. The first step to beating CMRE Financial Services in court is to file a written Answer. Here's what you need to know.

Debt collectors employed by CMRE Financial Services generally expect people to simply ignore the lawsuit and throw it in the garbage. This accomplishes nothing, except to benefit the debt collection agency. How? Well, if you ignore the debt collection lawsuit, it means CMRE Financial Services will simply file a motion for a default judgment in court and likely get that motion granted (since you opted to just ignore the litigation).

Do not make this mistake. There are options available to take on and defeat debt collection agencies like CMRE Financial Services.

Here are some helpful tips for drafting a winning Answer:

Make sure to never concede that you owe the debt. Remember that CMRE Financial Services must prove under the law that you owe the debt. Don't give them any help. Make them do all the work.
File your Answer with the local Clerk of Court on a timely basis. Most debt collection cases require a response within 14-35 days of receiving the Summons and Complaint, depending on which state the case is in.
Make your Answer copy to CMRE Financial Services and make sure it's stamped by the Clerk of Court.

SoloSuitcan help you draft and file an Answer in all 50 states.

You can learn more about drafting an Answer from SoloSuit's founder, George Simons, who explains everything you should know about it in this video:

Consider a counterclaim

You may want to consider filing a countersuit against CMRE Financial Services, if you have evidence that proves CMRE Financial Services violated the FDCPA when they contacted you to repay a debt. If you possess proof that CMRE Financial Services violated this law, you may receive compensatory damages of up to $1,000 per violation. They may have to pay your attorney fees and court fees, too.

Overview of actions to take if you are sued by CMRE Financial Services

Here's a quick recap of actions to take if CMRE Financial Services sues you:

Write down any telephone call details if they call you before 8 am or after 9 pm. Also, write down if they contact you at work and/or use abusive and threatening language.
Be certain to file your Answer within the required timeframe, or you will lose the case by default.
In the Answer, think about raising at least one affirmative defense, such as the statute of limitations. Also insist that CMRE Financial Services provide proof of the amount you owe and that you are the one who owes the debt.

Debt collection lawsuits are no fun, but don't despair. With the assistance of Solo Suit, you can beat these shady companies at their own game. And you might even get them to pay compensatory damages if they violated the FDCPA.

Best of luck!

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to respond to a debt collection lawsuit.

How it works: SoloSuit is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your answer. Upon completion, you can either print the completed forms and mail in the hard copies to the courts or you can pay SoloSuit to file it for you and to have an attorney review the document.

Respond with SoloSuit

"First time getting sued by a debt collector and I was searching all over YouTube and ran across SoloSuit, so I decided to buy their services with their attorney reviewed documentation which cost extra but it was well worth it! SoloSuit sent the documentation to the parties and to the court which saved me time from having to go to court and in a few weeks the case got dismissed!" – James

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>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate