ST. LOUIS –A disabled woman has filed a federal lawsuit against a debt collection agency, claiming that the company sent her dozens of phone calls despite her inability to pay and that their phone calls are unlawful.
Plaintiff Pollyanna Garrison filed the lawsuit in federal court against Medicredit.
According to court documents, Garrison is a disabled individual and has been rendered unable to work due to various physical ailments. Being unable to work has caused her to become unable to meet several of her financial obligations, causing them to go into default.
One of her medical debts was allegedly transferred to Medicredit for the purpose of debt collection. Garrison alleges that Medicredit began to contact her by phone in an attempt to collect this debt. She says that if she doesn't answer the phone, Medicredit leaves a pre-recorded artificial voicemail.
Garrison states that she has spoken to representatives of Medicredit to inform them of her inability to pay due to her disability, but the phone calls from Medicredit have continued anyway despite her requests for the company to cease contacting her.
According to the lawsuit, Medicredit's conduct constitutes violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) including the use of harassing and abusive tactics, false representation, and deceptive means in connection with debt collection.
Garrison claims that Medicredit's unrelenting phone calls have caused her various damages, including invasion of privacy, exacerbated medical ailments, sleep loss, emotional distress, and increased phone service usage.
Garrison is seeking a judgment prohibiting Medicredit from sending her any more phone calls and damages of at least $500 per phone call and treble damages, plus attorney fees and any other relief the court deems proper. She is represented by attorney Taxiarchis Hatzidimitriadis of Consumer Law Partners, LLC, in Chicago.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Missouri case number 4:23-cv-01351