Source: https://www.creditinfocenter.com/community/topic/292720-start-to-finish-winning-against-midland-funding-aka-jdb/page/3/
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 11:53:38+00:00

Document:
In Federal Court all pleadings can be found online.
Set up an account at the Pacer Website and look at what has been done in your jurisdiction. Anyone can have a Pacer Account. You do not have to be an attorney. Do not loose your password. It will only be sent by mail, ugh. Put it in a safe place.
You will find U.S. District Courts and Bankruptcy Courts here.
Downside is that there is a charge of ten cents a page.
Upside ... a lawyer costs a lot more than that.
There is a Plantiff Defendant Index.
Type in Experian ... or any of the Credit Reporting Agencies. Always look at the Motions for Summary Judgment. This will give you a good view of what's hot in these cases.
You will get a pretty good idea of which JDB has had the table turned on them with a Counterclaim or Motion for Sanction. How the Business REcord Affidavit was filed and the Motion for SUmmary Judgment should be full of legal precedent for your jurisdiction. You will probably find the very pleadings you might need and can observe successful challenges in your jurisdiction.
Here is a word template to request a production of documents & things as part of your discovery process directed to plaintiff. I cited a couple of missouri civil rules so if you're in another state, modify the citations to your state's requirements.
Please don't forget that if you plan to ask for counterclaims, that should be stated in your answer as well. I unfortunately didn't pursue counterclaims so I don't have a ready made template but I'll look into it further & post an answer w/counterclaims template when I locate one worthwhile.
Also, it is just a template so you need to check all of the affirmative defenses available to you by checking out your states RCP & you make sure that you utilize each and every one that applies to your situation....SOL is a big one for many people out there which didn't apply to me.
I did the same thing and did not file a counter claim when I filed my answer. Can I still counter sue? I would assume that since they only have an affidavit that I am objecting to and the SOL is over, that I have 2 violations there.
I believe state's rules allow you to amend your answer to include counterclaims within a certain amount of time usually. You'll have to check your states rules to determine if you are still within the time allowed to amend your answer to add your counterclaims.
Do some research here & i'm sure you'll find the info you're looking for on counterclaims. I'd imagine you could at least have a counterclaim for 1 FCRA violation for knowingly reporting fraudulent information to the CRA's (Remember they 99% of the time can't prove their case which by default would make your counterclaim fact) & I believe you can countersue for "reasonable attorney's fees" as the court deems necessary. Again, I am a newbie at this so these are just brainstorm ideas that require research before implementing.
In most states you CANNOT sue for attorney's fees for representing yourself UNLESS you are a licensed attorney. You file a Motion for Sanctions.
GUESSING IS NOT BRAINSTORMING AND IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE AND DANGEROUS. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. KNOW THE LAW DO NOT LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT. LEAVE THAT TO THEM. COPY THE LAW AS RELEVANT TO YOUR CASE AND TAKE IT TO COURT WITH YOU.
Most jurisdictions require that this be done within thirty days of the date the court will hear the cause of action.
File your discovery WITH your counterclaim. This is so important.
These are governed by the Discovery Section of your State's Rules of Civil Procedure.
Also check to see if the Court in which you are filing has their own local rules.
If you suit has been resolved you are too late for your Motion for Sanctions but you can file a separate suit for what you should have included in your counterclaim. However, now with a new suit you will have to pay filing fees and have your suit served on their Registered Agent for Service of Process which you can typically find through the Secretary of State.
Save your self tons of heartache and expense -- File a COUNTERCLAIM and a Motion for Sanctions (goverened by the Rules of Civil Procedure) with your answer. If you must file it separately within your lawsuit or file it with your answer.
Also file all AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES WITH YOUR ANSWER. If you do NOT claim your affirmative defenses in your anwser you may NOT introduce them during trail. It is TOO LATE.
What is an AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE that might be relevant. Look in your State's Rules of Civil Procedure under AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES.
SO WHAT DOES YOUR ANSWER DO?
It keeps your case alive and puts you in court.
It says you are not rolling over and playing dead.
If you do not file an answer a Default Judgment may be taken against you.
It allows you to deny the Plaintiff's case against you.
It allows you to file a counterclaim.
It allows you to file a Motion for Sanctions.
It allows you to file Discovery.
It allows you to file AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES and if you do not file them YOU WAIVE THEM. AND THERE ARE SEVERAL YOU WILL NEED. SEE MY NEXT POST.
YOUR ANSWER DOES NOT EXCLUDE THE BUSINESS RECORD AFFIDAVIT FROM EVIDENCE. The affidavit is probably correct as far as it goes. The point is it does not go far enough. This must be excluded with a written Motion to Strike or an oral hearsay objection. See my previous posting on Motion to Strike. And note: Motions must be filed within a certain time frame which is different in Federal Court than it is in State Court. Read your Rules of Civil Procedure on Motions.
See next post for Affirmative Defenses which MUSt be plead in your answer at least in Texas.
Affirmative defenses are claims by one party that defeat a cause of action or claim established by another party. Cook Composites Inc. v. Westlake Styrene Corp., 15 S.W.3d 124 (Tex. App.- Houston [14th Dist.] 2000, pet dism’d). Affirmative defenses operate to limit or excuse or avoid a party’s liability and/or limit the amount of another party’s damages for which the party is responsible, even if the factual allegations of the other party’s claims are admitted or proven. To assert an affirmative defense to another party’s claim in a lawsuit, the party must plead or describe the facts that constitute the defense.
1. Accord and satisfaction; WHICH MEANS I PAID THE DAMN THING YOU IDIOT.
2. Collateral estoppel; WHICH MEANS YOU TOOK BACK PROPERTY WHICH WAS WORTH MORE THAN THE DEBT.
3. Discharge in bankruptcy; WHICH MEANS THIS HAS BEEN SETTLED IN THE BANKRUPTCY COURT YOU IDIOT.
5. Equitable Estoppel; WHICH MEANS THIS IS NOT FAIR BECAUSE YOU TOOK MY HOUSE WHICH WAS WORTH MORE THAN THE DEBT.
6. Failure of consideration; WHICH MEANS THE PIECE OF **** YOUR SOLD ME BROKE BEFORE I GOT OUT OF THE DAMN STORE.
7. Failure to mitigate damages; WHICH MEANS YOU COULD HAVE SOLD THE PIECE OF **** CAR TO SOMEONE ELSE BUT YOU JUST SAT ON IT AND SUED ME INSTEAD.
The accord and satisfaction defense rests upon a contract, express or implied, in which the parties agree to the discharge of an existing obligation by means of a lesser payment tendered and accepted. Jenkins v. Henry C. Beck Co., 449 S.W.2d 454, 455 (Tex.1969).
(2) the new contract was performed.
Jenkins v. Henry C. Beck Co., 449 S.W.2d 454, 455 (Tex.1969).
“Accord and satisfaction” is a well recognized legal method of discharging any kind of a contract or cause of action, where the parties agree to give and accept something in settlement of the claim or demand of one party against the other party, and the parties perform such agreement. The “accord” is the agreement to discharge or settle the contract or cause of action, and the “satisfaction” is the execution or performance of the accord. Slaughter v. Temple Lumber Co., 307 S.W.2d 108, 115 (Tex.Civ.App.--Houston 1957, writ ref'd n.r.e.).
For a dispute over a liquidated claim to constitute the basis for an accord and satisfaction, the dispute must be bona fide and not a mere denial of liability simulated for the purpose of forcing a settlement or escaping liability in whole or in part. Buford v. Inge Const. Co., 279 S.W. 513, 515 (Dallas Tex.Civ.App., 1925, no writ hist.).
8-)This might be a very good one if they cannot produce the original contract signed by you. Some of these companies are producing a general agreement used in the general time frame the account was opened but not the ORIGINAL CONTRACT.
Plead the Statute of Frauds and you are saying okay, they say breached a written contract. Where the hell is this written contract? To be enfoceable this contract must be in writing and signed by ME. Now where is it?
(8) an agreement, promise, contract, or warranty of cure relating to medical care or results thereof made by a physician or health care provider as defined in Section 74.001, Civil Practice and Remedies Code. This section shall not apply to pharmacists.
When, either because of the agreement's terms or the nature of the required acts, the agreement cannot be performed within one year, the statute of frauds applies and renders any non-complying agreement unenforceable. Niday v. Niday, 643 S.W.2d 919, 920 (Tex.1982). Where parties enter into a contract without explicitly mentioning a time for performance, courts must determine whether the parties intended to complete the contract within a year. Hall v. Hall, 158 Tex. 95, 308 S.W.2d 12, 16 (1957). In making this determination, we frame our inquiry in terms of what is a “reasonable time” to complete performance of the contract measured in days or years “in light of the circumstances before [the parties] at the date of the contract.” Id.
The statute of frauds does not apply when the parties do not fix the time of performance and the agreement itself does not indicate that it cannot be performed within one year. Niday v. Niday, 643 S.W.2d 919, 920 (Tex.1982).
Each cause of action has a period within which a plaintiff must file a suit on a particular cause of action. This is called the limitation period for the cause of action. Chapter 16, Tex. Civ. Prac.& Rem. Code, establishes the limitation period, for each cause of action of type of cause of action in Texas. A cause of action is barred if not filed within the limitation period of the statute of limitation applicable to the particular cause of action.
Redlinehome - this is great stuff!
Thank you, thank you - you are a lifesaver. I don't know what will come of my hearing, I got officially served this morning, and will diligently do my homework with your help.
Go on & file your answer & request discovery @ the same time. I'm sure opposing counsel will not be so smug with you as the other 90 defendants they'll be conning into default judgments on that day in court.
Best of luck on your case & keep us posted on your progress!
Look at the answers filed by a firm like Jones Day that represents Experian. Go to the Pacer website and set up an account. They plead every damn affirmative defense whether it makes sense of not.
Look at what the big boys do in Federal Court and copy them.
Type in Midland and see how the pros are handling this. Maybe start with Texas Northern District since they are a Texas Corp.
Be a Pro -- you can and you can actually do a better job than they are doing.
USE PACER. IT IS YOUR FRIEND. IT IS FOOLISH, FOOLISH, FOOLISH NOT TO LOOK AT THE PLEADINGS THAT SERIOUS ATTORNEYS USE.
File an answer with every affirmative defense listed.
Now, in Federal Court you will NOT find Request for Disclosure. That is automoatic in Federal Court but many states have them.
If you state has Request for Disclosure you will find that in the Rules of Civil Procedure but you will not find a sample on Pacer which is for Federal Courts since Federal Courts to not use them.
File a Motion for Summary Judgment == that will blow their mind. You will find some very good ones on Pacer.
File a Motion in Limine --- use a standard one and then add Limine instrutions for the Business Record or whatever you want to keep out.
DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK THE LOCAL RULES OF PROCEDURE FOR WHATEVER COURT YOU ARE IN. THIS MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE. YOU HAVE YOUR STATE RULES OF PROCEDURE BUT MANY, MANY COURTS HAVE THEIR OWN RULES. They are typically on line.
If the Court likes to have a scheduling conference by all means set one! Ask for scheduling. Which means deadlines by which certain things must be done. You do not want surprises. You want them to comply with a tight schedule and deadlines.
Now ... do not expect the court to automatically set your Motions for hearing. YOU MUST DO THAT. I KNOW ONE PRO SE WHO WAITED TWO YEARS AND WONDERED WHY THE MOTIONS WERE NEVER SET.
WITH EACH MOTION FILE AN ORDER SETTING HEARING. There are samples on Pacer. This is crucial.
Use self addressed stamped envelopes to have stamp filed copies returned to you. Have a cover letter which explains to the District Clerk that you want your pleadings filed, your Motion Set, and stamped filed copies returned.
There is a small fee to file Motions. Usually $15.00. Call your District Clerk and ask what the fee is.
Include that in your letter to the clerk to file the motion, return a stamp filed copy and have it set and return the Order Setting hearing. So you will need two SASE -- one for the stamped filed copies and one for the Order Setting Hearing. If you do not get the Order Setting Hearing back in two weeks: CALL.
If you have combined motions == you will only pay one fee and you CAN COMBINE YOUR MOTIONS.
If they do not answer your discovery or do a second rate job of answering it?
MOTION TO COMPEL. AND THE BEAUTIFUL MOTION TO DISMISS (WITH SANCTIONS).
There will be some excellent examples on Pacer. Be sure to include a request for Sanctions for not answering or producing in accord with the law as state in your Discovery Section of your State Rules of Civil Procedure.
For failure to answer Requests for Admissions ... Motion to Deem Admitted.
For evasive answers to Interrogatories ... file Motion to Compel with Sanctions and explain how they are being evasive for each one.
For Request for Production Motion to Dismiss if what they need to produce is the heart and soul of the case like your original contract with original creditor.
You will probably have to do this. Get ready for it. Be aggressive have the hearing set as quickly as possible.
File a Motion for Sanctions for filing a case with no damn prooof. Your State Rules of Civil Procedure will have one Rule on Sanctions. Quote and apply to your situation.
Cannot get attorney's fees if not an atty but can get sanctions.
YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR MOTIONS SET ON THE SAME DAY AS YOUR HEARING. YOU WANT THEM SET IN ADVANCE. MAKE THE ATTORNEY SHOW UP, SIT THROUGH A MOTION MORNING ... THERE WILL BE TWENTY SET .... MAKE THEM EARN THEIR DAMN MONEY.
ALSO LETS YOU GET READY BASED ON WHAT YOU GET AT THE MOTION HEARING.
This is problematic for me. You will probably end up with a Motion to Compel by Midland filed against you.
Records you can obtain from a third party -- to which YOU are legally entitled must be obtained from that third party and you MUST MAKE A GOOD FAITH EFFORT TO OBTAIN THEM OR DENY THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT EXISTED.
ALL THOSE GOOD SANCTIONS YOU WANT TO USE AGAINST MIDLAND ... BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL. THIS IS NOT A GAME. THEY CAN BE TURNED AGAINST YOU.
MIDLAND CAN GET ATTORNEYS FEES. THEY ARE ATTORNEYS.
If you can write the original creditor and ask for the records ... and show the court you did this but no response ... you will be in good shape.
If anyone has a better way to handle this let me know.
Of course, if there is an issue with the original account and it was not yours ... or there is accord and satisfaction ... or the Statute of Limitations has run on the Original Debt ... then Object to their Request Production which is probably supported by interrogatories.
This is not abusive on their part. They are fully entitled to take this course of action and the judge will probably back them up.
At this point you MUST OBJECT TO THEIR DISCOVERY WITH SOME LEGITIMATE OBJECTION OR RESPOND AND PRODUCE.
Also, amend your answer to include affirmative defenses as state above.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS LITTLE WRINKLE.
Because you are not just required to produce what is in your possession but what is in someone else's possession to which you entitled.
THIS IS NOT A WALK IN THE PARK. THIS IS NOT GIN RUMMY. THIS IS COURT. THIS IS REAL AND THESE GUYS CAN TURN THE TABLE ON YOU.
A few posts ago you were thinking you could get attorneys fees ... YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING HERE.
BE VERY CAREFUL IN RESPONDING TO THEIR PLEADINGS. This could be a huge trap for the unwary.
Provide a release authorizing them to get the records. This gives both of you equal access and when that happens ... they have to get them.
Put a compliance/expiration date on the release of about one month.
Obviously, this has intrinsic dangers. Attach the release to your response for their discovery.
Would PACER have examples of the Motion to Compel even though Federal?
Pacer will have all Motions.
You might want to use your State as the source for Interrogatories because each state has their own unique issues with regard to all Discovery.
The only thing we use in Texas that Federal Court does not use is a form of Discovery called Request for Disclosure. These items of Disclosure are presumed in Federal Court. Request for Disclosure asks some basic questions typically found in the interrogatories. Try to look at your State Interrogatories.
Motion to Compel is pretty basic. See if you can find a Credit Bureau or a Credit Reporting Agency as a defendant.
The reason I suggest Pacer is because it is online, it is easy and there is a good Plaintiff/Defendant index and you will find all the major credit Bureaus being sued in virtually every federal jurisdiction in the United States.
Allright I have request for documents and the answer ready to go. Fingers crossed all goes well in court.
I will keep you up to date and come back for phase two. Thanks again to everyone for the help.
There is incredible information both in this thread and on the forum in general that allowed me to get notice from the lawyer representing Midland Monday, and from the court today, that my case was dismissed by Midland without prejudice (I know, with prejudice would have been better). The key to my case was in answering the discovery request from Midland's lawyers. Their cover letter sent with the discovery request stated that I could request an electronic copy of the discovery request. I sent an email to the lawyer requesting the electronic copy, and in that email notified him that I would be sending my discovery request via email. The lawyer then voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit.
I think that companies like Midland have a cost-benefit calculation they use, and if the costs are going to outweigh the likelihood of getting a judgment, they will fold.
This is even more true for small debts (mine was just over $600). YMMV.
I had to register and thank each and everyone of you that shared your experiences and technique. I had never heard of Midland Funding until I received a letter in the mail from local counsel offering to represent me in a bankruptcy. They stated that I was being sued and included a case number. I went to the court docket of the court of common pleas and saw my name listed. Turns out Midland was suing me on behalf of Capital One. I have never had an account with Capital One. At this point I'm pulling copies of my credit report and see that Midland had made an inquiry on 1 of the 3. Capital One has never shown up on my credit report. Once before TRU had listed a debt to me that was not mine so, I was thinking this had to be the case. Anyway, I did not attend the default hearing. I received certified mail notices but I never retrieved them. Finally one came by regular mail. Next I received Midland's request that I "Answer". At this point I knew this was real. So, they pretty much asked the usual questions that have been listed here. I filed my answer three days later and was then sent notification of a case management conference. I was early. The Javitch representative was late. She showed up and actually appeared shocked that I actually had the audacity to show up. She blurted out erroneously that I had not filed my answer in due time. I corrected her on this and then she replies "oh, I'm sorry".
So, we were giving deadlines to file our discovery requests. I was asked for name, place of employment, phone number, address, why i hadn't paid, admit that i had obtained credit from Capital One, admit that I was a horrible person for not taking responsibility. I responded truthfully to every interrogatory. I then drafted my own and asked for proof of the debt, credit agreements showing my signature, permission to view my credit report, statement and invoices that had been sent to me from Capital One, proof that they had legal authority to collect on behalf of Capital One etc. I sent both Certified Return Receipt on May 20. Well on May 28 Atty Jennifer filed for a motion to dismiss without prejudice. I'm not concerned with it being without or with because I'll do the same thing again.
I would like to give thanks to all of you that have contributed to this forum helping the uninformed stand up for themselves when it comes to junk debt buyers like Midland Funding LLC.
visit this site and learn that they can fight and win.
We are more powerful than we realize. If people would just do a little research. I typed in midland funding and voila! I was lead here. You have to want to defend yourself. I'm just glad that you all are here and sharing knowledge.

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