Other Practice Areas

Credit Reporting Issues

Law Offices of Brandon A. Block sues companies that violate fair credit reporting laws. Those laws protect against inaccuracies in your credit report. If there is an error in your report, you can notify the credit bureau of the error. The bureau must investigate the issue within 30 days by asking the furnisher of the information to verify its accuracy and by reviewing the information that you provide. If the reporting is found to be inaccurate or it cannot be verified, the bureau must remove it. Even if the bureau verifies the information, the furnisher must report your account as “disputed.” Often, credit bureaus continue to report inaccurate information, even after an investigation. If so, try again. If it persists, contact us.

Fair credit reporting laws also limit access to your credit report for certain “permissible purposes”, generally for a legitimate business need. For example, a company is allowed to get a copy of your report if you apply for credit, insurance, employment or to rent an apartment. Accessing a credit report without a permissible purpose is a serious issue and can negatively impact your credit score. It is important to bring this issue to a lawyer as soon as possible.

If you win a case under the fair credit reporting laws, you should be able to resolve the credit reporting error. You also may recover a statutory penalty up to $1,000, your attorneys’ fees and costs, and your actual damages. Actual damages come in many forms and can include your pain and suffering for having to deal with the violation.

Foreclosure Defense

In California, a lender may foreclose on real property without filing a lawsuit. “Non-judicial foreclosure”, as it is called, gives the lender the contractual right to sell the property. The process is privately conducted. The majority of California foreclosures are non-judicial; thus, court supervision of a foreclosure is rarely encountered. Recently,

The borrower, however, can bring a lawsuit to fight the foreclosure. These lawsuits can be brought as late as the final stage of non-judicial foreclosure, when possession of the property is sought (i.e., during unlawful detainer or eviction proceedings). In the lawsuits, consumers can challenge improper foreclosures and lending practices and, in the process, retain possession of the premises.

You may have been threatened with or already served a notice of foreclosure. You may have received a notice of eviction after foreclosure. The bottom line is that in either case, you have options in stopping the foreclosure or eviction. A borrower may raise several defenses against an impending foreclosure or eviction, including that proper procedures were not followed in foreclosing, and that the party who foreclosed cannot prove that it has the right to foreclose on the property. The borrower may also be able to file a claim for money damages based on violations of state and federal consumer protection laws.

General Civil Litigation

Our civil litigation practice is broad, covering numerous areas of the law and many different industries. For small businesses, we can provide sound and cost-effective guidance for plaintiff and defense work in business-to-business and corporate issues. Our approach to litigation is based on a simple economic equation: Which course of action will net the client more money? We have not and will not get involved in a matter only to obtain legal fees. We will take the time to learn your operations and your goals, and together, form a strategic plan that seeks to resolve the issue in an intelligent and reasonable manner. If appropriate, we are willing to take civil matters on a contingency basis.

We have litigated cases in state and federal court involving numerous areas of civil law, including: