Rubin and Rothman is a major debt collection law firm in both the New York and New Jersey areas. They handle a wide array of consumer debt collection ranging from credit cards to private student loans. Their goal as is any other debt collection law firm is to sue and obtain a default judgment against the consumer. This means that they win the case automatically without the consumer having the ability to defend themselves. This scenario happens over 95% of the time in our experience. Once a judgment is obtained they then move on to attempt to enforce it. Enforcing the judgment may be via wage garnishment, bank levy or by even placing a lien on the consumers home. The worst part is that in New York, judgment interest at 9% begins to accrue on top of the judgment amount. Often, consumers call us 10 years later when they first learn of the judgment and see that it has ballooned to a much higher amount. Judgments in New York are good for 20 years so Rubin and Rothman will frequently let the debt accrue and then enforce on a higher debt amount.
Rubin and Rothman represent original creditors such as Citibank in lawsuits against consumers as well as student loan lenders such as National Collegiate Trust and Arrowood Indemnity Co. They also represent Toyota Motor Credit frequently in auto repossession debt cases. The common avenue for relief for default judgments is to file a motion to vacate the judgment based on improper service or by having a reasonable excuse and a meritorious defense. If successful, the motion reopens the case and gives the consumer the ability to defend themselves on the merits. It also gives them the leverage to negotiate a successful settlement if they so choose. However, if a consumer is served with notice of the lawsuit then the easiest way to avoid a firm like Rubin and Rothman from obtaining a default judgment is to submit an answer. The answer keeps the burden on Rubin and Rothman to prove the merits of their case.
