New Laws in Maryland Tighten Requirements for Creditors to Obtain Judgments Against People

The Maryland Court of Appeals just amended certain rules to protect consumers from paying on debts to creditors who are not really entitled to any payments. The new law will require creditors to demonstrate that they own the debt, that the statute of limitations to collect the debt has not expired and that they are licensed to operate business in Maryland.

The changes to Rules 3-306, 3-308 and 3-509 of the Maryland Rules take effect January 1, 2012. If the creditor wants to obtain a judgment against a debtor and does not want to have to appear in court, it can file a request for judgment with an Affidavit.. Under the new laws, the person making the affidavit must have personal knowledge of the facts contained in the affidavit and must be competent to testify about the facts. In addition, the affidavit must be accompanied by detailed evidence of liability, specifically indicating the amount claimed, any interest with an interest worksheet, and proof that the attorney’s fees sought are reasonable, along with authenticated copies of the documents on which the claim is based.

If the complaint is being brought by a collection agency, then the agency must provide the following: (1) proof of existence of the debt; (2) proof of the terms and conditions of the debt; (3) proof of ownership; (4) identification of the nature of the debt; (5) proof of entitlement to damages under the contract in the case of a future services contract; (6) pertinent account charge off information (statue of limitations); (7) pertinent non-charge off account information; and (8) identifications of all Maryland collection agency licenses currently held by the creditor.

A person being sued in Maryland still needs to file a notice of intent to defend and needs to appear in court. If the creditor has not submitted all the evidence required by these new rules, the creditor will not be able to obtain a judgment against the debtor. If the person does not file a notice to defend or does not appear in court, the judge may consider whether the creditor fulfilled its requirements under the new law and may or may not enter judgment in the creditor’s favor.

These laws should help people avoid having to pay for debts that are beyond the statute of limitations to collect, or pay for debts to an agency not licensed to collect the debt in Maryland, or where the creditor has no documents to prove the existence of the debt.
By: Laura J. Margulies and Ruth Clayton

Laura J. Margulies is a principal in the firm of Laura Margulies & Associates, LLC. Our web site is located at: www.law-margulies.com. We represent consumers in bankruptcy and litigation matters in Maryland and the District of Columbia.