Massachusetts cancels $52 million in debt, bans debt collector
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Attorney General Andrea Campbell secured a settlement that cancelled $52 million in debt for over 6,000 Massachusetts consumers and prohibited Andrew Metcalf and his companies, Judgment Acquisitions Unlimited and Champion Funding Inc. from collecting debts in the state.
The Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit in February 2024, alleging the companies violated the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act with unfair and deceptive practices.
Campbell’s office determined the companies were seizing vehicles from consumers unrelated to any auto loans, and sometimes taking cars with so little value the law protected them from seizure, often the consumers’ only transportation to work. The state previously obtained injunctions to stop these practices. The settlement prevents Metcalf and his companies from buying or collecting debts from Massachusetts residents and also bars them from applying for a debt collector license within the state.
If the companies violate the agreement, they could face a $650,000 penalty. This case is part of a larger movement across the United States to protect consumers from abusive debt collection, with similar actions underway in states like Hawaii and Illinois.
