Consumer Rights
When money is tight, resolving an unfair medical bill or stopping an unethical debt collector can save a family from crisis.
Having trouble with debt, a loan, or a debt collector?
How we help
NJP helps people fight predatory lending, stop illegal collection practices, and challenge medical charges they shouldn’t have to pay. When debt becomes overwhelming, we also help people use bankruptcy to get a fresh start.
Many people think of their problems with debt as simply money problems, and not legal problems, but debt problems are legal problems. For example:
- Hospital bills: When a hospital pursues a debt from a patient who couldn’t afford to pay, or never offered help with the bill, it has likely broken the law. The patient may have a claim under Washington’s “charity care” rules.
- Debt collector harassment: When a collector calls at all hours or contacts someone at work and won’t stop, that person may have a claim for unlawful collection practices.
- Garnished bank accounts: When a garnishment empties someone’s bank account, leaving nothing to live on, or takes Social Security money, they have a legal right to get some or all of it back.
NJP can help with these and other kinds of debt-related legal problems.
$2.74 million
Debt relief secured for low-income clients in 2025
My NJP attorney called me with great news: the check from the collection agency had arrived! They had reimbursed all but $200 of the total funds garnished over the years. I was overjoyed… and no longer in debt.
Maria, NJP client
Legal Aid Matters
Consumer debt rarely stays a money problem. Garnished wages and frozen bank accounts can quickly lead to missed rent, lost jobs, and skipped medical care. Free legal services can stop that spiral.
One study of Washington debt collection lawsuits found that in more than 80% of cases brought by debt buyers, the person being sued never responded, so the court automatically ruled against them – the debt buyer never had to prove the debt was real. Only 1% of the people sued had a lawyer. By holding lenders and collectors accountable, our work protects families’ income and helps many more people than the clients we serve directly.
1%
People sued by debt collectors have a lawyers defense
Anna’s Story Triumph over Unjust Debt
Anita Belcher was raising three grandchildren alone when a wage garnishment put their care at risk. It came from a 10-year-old lawsuit over emergency dental surgery she needed after her then-fiancée assaulted her. The loan was the responsibility of her ex. Anita never knew about the lawsuit. Court records falsely said she was handed the papers at an address where she never lived, a practice called “sewer service.” Her attorney made sure the truth was heard.
Case Study
Consumer Rights
NJP empowers people to fight back against unfair debt collection
Many people do not realize this, but consumer debt is bought and sold on a regular basis. A debt owed to a credit card company could be sold to different debt buyers several times before anyone tries to collect it from the debtor – the person owing the debt. The debt buyer usually only pays a fraction of what is owed in exchange for the right to collect. The debtor then gets hounded for payment, or sued, by a business they don’t know and have never heard of before. The debtor likely has no way to know what the debt is for, how old it is, and if the amounts demanded are correct.
What NJP has learned is that the debt buyers themselves don’t know much about the debts they buy, either. It is often impossible for debt buyers to prove what is owed, who it is originally from, how old it is or what interest and fees were added. They should have to prove all of this, but they usually can’t. Instead, the debt buying business relies on people not showing up when they get sued, or agreeing to pay just to stop the collection calls. NJP has found that when you show up and fight, the debt buyers go away.
NJP now has advocates across the state who work with people being pursued by debt collectors to fight against these bad practices. Because we can’t represent everyone, we have created forms for people to use on their own to challenge debt buyers, and demand they prove what is owed. In many cases, the result is that collection lawsuits get dismissed.
Recent News & Stories
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Thousands of former patients at Spokane area hospitals will have medical debts erased automatically after a major legal settlement with a for-profit hospital chain. Starting Nov. 1, former patients covered by the settlement will receive debt relief letters with instructions for contacting the Northwest Justice Project for a free consultation and possible assistance if needed.
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NJP Attorney Meredith Bruch spoke at a Yakima anti-fraud fair and warned people about several types of scams, including scammers who call and fraudulently claim you owe a debt. You need to ask for written proof of the debt!
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