SB 298, by Sen. Bob Wieckowski (D-Fremont), would automatically exempt up to $2,250 per debtor from bank levies — that’s when a judge gives a creditor approval to seize money from an account. More than 100,000 bank levies are served every year statewide, according to research by the East Bay Community Law Center.
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — People’s paychecks are being garnished for debts that do not belong to them and here’s the kicker — it’s perfectly legal. A woman from the East Bay is the sole breadwinner in her family; so imagine how hard it was when a collection agency started taking hundreds of dollars out of her paycheck to pay a bill that wasn’t even hers.[…]Djemal works for the East Bay Community Law Center and is helping Piper in her fight.
Some defendants will even pay a wrongfully assigned debt off because the amount of the debt is less than the money it would cost to fight the matter in court. Sharon Djemal, director of the Consumer Justice Clinic at the East Bay Community Law Center – which is assisting Christy in her case – tells Consumerist that the Center sees at least one person each week dealing with these same unfair debt collection scenarios.
