New York Attorney General Letitia James secured more than $650,000 from debt collection law firm, Tromberg, Morris, & Poulin, LLC (TMP), and its subsidiary, Stephen Einstein & Associates, P.C. (SEA), for filing frivolous lawsuits. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that TMP and its subsidiary often sued tenants on behalf of landlords in New York City Civil Court on issues that were already resolved in Housing Court. OAG also found that TMP illegally continued to pursue consumers for debts that were already paid or partially paid, and sometimes garnished wages for judgments that were completed. As a result of a settlement with OAG, TMP is required to pay $595,600 in restitution to more than 4,000 affected New Yorkers, $60,000 in penalties, and stop its frivolous and predatory behavior. TMP must also review its unpaid rent lawsuits from the past six years and refund consumers who already made payments but were improperly pursued again by TMP. TMP is also required to reform its practices to stop its predatory behavior. Consumers are eligible for restitution if they paid off a judgment held by TMP’s client, but TMP failed to file a satisfaction of judgment with the court within twenty days, as required by law
The OAG concluded that TMP and its subsidiary filed at least 374 unpaid rent cases in New York City since at least 2017 without noting on their internal forms whether or not there had been prior litigation. These actions forced New Yorkers to reappear in court on cases that had already been resolved.
Call or text NY landlord attorneys Robert Friedman and Justin Friedman at 585-484-7432 if you have questions about collecting unpaid rent from your tenants.