U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon of the Western District of Pennsylvania. Courtesy photo Federal Judge Sanctions Pittsburgh Firm for 'Campaign of Deception' in Debt Collection Disputes
"Counsel are well advised to heed one lesson from this experience in particular, among the many," Bissoon wrote. "This court is immune from gaslighting. It will not work, and attempts will be met with great disfavor."
August 15, 2024 at 05:59 PM
4 minute read
What You Need to Know
- A federal judge sanctioned a Pittsburgh law firm for using deceptive tactics as a basis for a pair of debt collection disputes.
- The firm had sought to catch the defendant in a FDCPA by sending handwritten letters falsely attributed to clients.
- The firm asserted its conduct was permissible because it had its clients' approval.
A Pittsburgh law firm landed itself with severe sanctions and a scathing reprimand over tactics it used in a pair of debt collection disputes.
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Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
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