A Massachusetts attorney who has filed more than 2,000 lawsuits during the past five years against individuals with unpaid debts has been barred from threatening individuals with jail time, following a civil suit filed by that state’s attorney general.
Robert White, who has been practicing law for 45 years, is accused of “intimidating, harassing and abusing debtors during his collection efforts, and of using “baseless threats” to coerce low-income debtors into repayment plans even when some of their income is exempt from court-ordered collection,” according to a published report.
White defended his actions, saying he warns individuals they could be fined or imprisoned for contempt of court if they fail to show up for failing to obey a court order. He says he uses the same language the court does when it warns individuals.
“I comply with the rules. I warn them that once a court order issues, if they fail to obey it, they can be found in contempt by a judge and they can be incarcerated for contempt by a judge,” White said. “The AG does not like that, but it’s exactly what the rules provide.”
The lawsuit claims that White has made imprisonment threats when discussing missed payments, as well.
A request to have White barred from filing new cases was denied by the judge. Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts, is seeking to have White barred from filing debt collection lawsuits in small claims court.
White paid $30,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit in February after he was accused of improperly charging interest. White did not admit any wrongdoing and was allowed to continue collecting on those cases following the settlement.
