Peter Merani Lawsuits

The law office of Peter Merani is most commonly associated with EZ-Pass collection and litigation. They specifically handle Port Authority matters as we rarely ever see MTA matters in litigation. Port Authority collection matters usually transfer to a collection agency first and then end up with Peter Merani’s office once a lawsuit is ready to be filed. Port Authority matters tend to be some of the toughest EZ-Pass toll matters to resolve. However, it is a good sign if they land with Peter Merani’s office. Although collection agencies like Transworld and Alliance One will negotiate settlements in the collection, The Port Authority will usually decline any sort of settlement offer if there is a registration suspension or even if the consumer receives a letter about registration suspension. At this point, the full balance is requested and a settlement cannot be negotiated. This is the opposite of the MTA who are still happy to negotiate settlements even if a consumer is in registration suspension mode. However, the one caveat is if The Port Authority is suing the client via Peter Merani’s office who is almost always willing to come to a resolution.

Lawsuits filed by Peter Merani are usually filed in New York County when dealing with Port Authority matters. These lawsuits are often won on default by Merani’s office leaving consumers exposed to bank levies and wage garnishment. Judgment interest and other fees are also applied to make the total amount of the debt higher. An answer with defenses must be filed to protect against a default judgment or an order to show cause to vacate a default judgment. This will shift the burden onto the Port Authority to prove that the amount requested in suit is correct and proper. Most people with EZ-Pass debt know that their actual outstanding tolls are a small fraction of the total bill they receive in collection or lawsuit. That is because a ton of penalties and fees are added before these are ever filed. Penalties are often accrued at $100 per toll significantly increasing the debt if one uses EZ-Pass frequently, especially if using EZ-Pass for business purposes. These sorts of debts can frequently increase to $30,000 or more due to these penalties and fees.

We have been successful at negotiating lowered Port Authority Settlements with Peter Merani’s office after first defending clients in court and using that leverage to reach a resolution. From our experience, we have seen penalties reduced up to 80% off and we have been able to arrange interest-free payment plans for up to 24 months in some matters to make paying higher amounts easier for most people who cannot do one lump sum payment although a lump sum will usually mean obtaining an even better deal. This arrangement usually brings the client closer to what their original toll balance was, avoids a judgment against them, and avoids a suspension of their registration or alternatively reinstates their registration, and even releases their car if it was towed because of the violations incurred.