Pennsylvania court rules in favor of debtor

In Pennsylvania, an appeals court recently threw out a case against a woman who was allegedly in debt for more than $5,000. The Morning Call reports that the court threw out the case against the woman because the debt collector could not verify the accuracy of the records he had on the woman. The decision is seen as good news for consumers who may have had their debt bought by collection agencies. Lawrence Rubin, who defended the woman, said that people needed to know more about how the files were gathered to ensure their legitimacy. "The court says if everything is computerized these days, we should have some testimony as to how these records are created and stored and whether they're protected from hackers and viruses," said Rubin in an interview with the news source. There have been other rulings in favor of debt collectors in recent weeks. In New Jersey, Trenton District Judge Freda Wolfson ruled that Hudson Law Offices, P.C., had acted improperly when it acted as a debt collection agency even though it hadn't registered with the state.