Send us Fan Mail

Buried in almost every credit card agreement is a mandatory arbitration clause — and most people never think about it until they're facing a collection lawsuit. In this episode, attorney Efstathios Georgiou breaks down what arbitration actually is, why the cost structure can work in a consumer's favor against debt buyers, and why the class action waiver matters more than most people realize.

Full Show Notes:

Most credit card agreements require disputes to go through private arbitration instead of court — but few consumers understand what that means until they're already being sued. In this episode of Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future, attorney Efstathios Georgiou draws on his experience on both sides of consumer debt litigation to explain:

• What mandatory arbitration is and how it differs from a courtroom lawsuit
• Why it's often unclear whether a debt buyer (as opposed to the original card issuer) can even enforce the arbitration clause
• How arbitration's cost structure can make small-dollar debt buyer claims economically unattractive to pursue
• What the class action waiver actually means for your rights as a consumer
• Current trends in arbitration enforceability going into 2026

Key takeaway: Whether arbitration helps or hurts your case depends on your specific agreement, who's suing you, and the amount in dispute. This isn't a one-size-fits-all analysis.

If you've been sued over credit card debt and want to know whether arbitration could work in your favor, call attorney Efstathios Georgiou at Georgiou Law, PLLC for a consultation: 917-764-3072, or visit georgioulawpllc.com.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Send us Fan Mail

Wage Garnishment in New York: What a Creditor Can Actually Take From Your Paycheck

Got a debt judgment against you? The first question almost everyone asks is: "Can they take money from my paycheck?" The honest answer is sometimes—but New York's rules are far more protective than most collectors let on.

In this episode, attorney Efstathios Georgiou of Georgiou Law breaks down exactly how wage garnishment—known as an income execution in New York—really works:

• Why a creditor can't touch your wages without first winning a money judgment in court
• New York's 10% cap on gross wages, one of the most debtor-protective limits in the country (far below the 25% federal maximum)
• The income that's completely off-limits: Social Security, SSI, unemployment, disability, public assistance, and workers' comp
• The protection that stops your employer from firing you over a single garnishment
• Why 2025–2026 has brought a surge in post-judgment enforcement—and why that old judgment you thought was "inactive" is still a live threat (New York judgments last 20 years and can be renewed)

The worst thing you can do is nothing. An unaddressed income execution keeps chipping away at your paycheck until the full judgment is paid.

Facing a garnishment threat—or already seeing money come out of your check? Don't wait until it reaches your employer. Call Georgiou Law at (917) 764-3072 and let's talk about your options.

Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future®—presented by Georgiou Law, a New York City firm focused on credit card and personal loan debt defense

Send us Fan Mail

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been significantly scaled back over the past eighteen months — reduced enforcement staff, paused investigations, and withdrawn rules. Many consumers hear that and assume their protections are gone. They are not.

In this episode, attorney Efstathios Georgiou explains what actually changed at the federal level and, more importantly, what didn't. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a federal statute Congress passed in 1977 — the CFPB doesn't own it, and it remains fully in force, including its private right of action that lets you sue a collector directly for actual damages, statutory damages up to $1,000, and attorney's fees. On top of that, New York consumers have layers of protection that exist entirely independent of the CFPB: General Business Law § 601, which reaches original creditors where the FDCPA does not; the New York City consumer protection rules; the Consumer Credit Fairness Act and its stricter pleading and proof requirements for creditors suing in New York courts; and oversight of debt collectors by the Department of Financial Services.

The takeaway: the federal enforcement environment is quieter, but your rights have not disappeared. If a collector is harassing you, misrepresenting what you owe, or threatening action it can't legally take, document everything — every call, letter, text, and email — because that record is the foundation of any claim.

If a debt collector has harassed you, misrepresented your debt, or threatened you illegally — or you simply want to understand where you stand — call Georgiou Law at (917) 764-3072 for a consultation. Clear your debt. Claim your future.

Send us Fan Mail

Buy Now, Pay Later — Get Sued Later?

It barely existed five years ago. Now it's one of the fastest-growing sources of consumer financial distress in America. Klarna, Affirm, and Afterpay made it easy to split a purchase into four payments — no interest, no hard credit check, approved in seconds. What they didn't make easy is what happens when you fall behind.

In this episode of Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future, NYC consumer debt defense attorney Efstathios Georgiou breaks down the new frontier of debt collection:

• How a missed $300 installment turns into a charged-off account, a collections trade line, and sometimes a lawsuit
• Why BNPL debt often has thin paper — a click-through at checkout, no signed agreement — and what that means if you're sued
• Your rights under the FDCPA, including the power of a debt validation request
• New York's three-year statute of limitations on contract claims — and why some BNPL debt may already be time-barred
• The credit reporting shift that can now follow a missed payment for up to seven years

Don't pay a claim before you understand it. If you have a Buy Now, Pay Later account in collections, received a demand letter, or been served with a lawsuit, call Georgiou Law at (917) 764-3072 for a review of your situation — guidance based on the law, not pressure.

Presented by Georgiou Law, PLLC — a New York City law firm focused on credit card and consumer debt defense.

Send us Fan Mail

When a debt buyer or creditor sues you over a credit card or personal loan, the complaint is only a set of allegations — not evidence. Discovery is the pre-trial phase where the plaintiff has to put up or shut up.

In this episode of Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future, attorney Efstathios Georgiou of Georgiou Law walks through how discovery works in New York debt litigation under Article 31 of the CPLR, and why this phase often decides the outcome of a case. You'll learn:

• The document demands that target each element a plaintiff must prove — the signed agreement, the full account statements, and the complete chain of title
• How interrogatories lock the other side into sworn answers that can later contradict their documents
• Why debt buyers struggle to authenticate records they didn't create, and how that opens the door to hearsay objections
• What depositions can reveal about a witness's actual knowledge of your account
• Your options when a plaintiff can't produce what you've asked for — motions to compel, preclude, for sanctions, or for summary judgment
• How discovery doubles as a settlement tool by shifting the plaintiff's cost-benefit analysis when its evidence is thin

Discovery requires command of the CPLR, the rules of evidence, and the specific dynamics of debt litigation. A consumer who tries to navigate it alone is at a real disadvantage against experienced collection counsel — which is exactly why having a lawyer matters.

If you've been sued over a credit card or personal loan debt in New York City and want to understand how to make the creditor prove its case, call Georgiou Law at (917) 764-3072 for a consultation. We defend consumer debt lawsuits in New York City using every tool the law provides — including discovery.

Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future is presented by Georgiou Law, a New York City law firm focused on consumer debt defense.

Want a shorter version (2–3 sentences) for the social/preview field, or Spanish translation for your Spanish-speaking audience?

Send us Fan Mail

Episode Summary:

Most people in debt believe they have no rights when creditors and collectors come calling. They're wrong. In this episode of Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future, attorney Efstathios Georgiou of Georgiou Law breaks down the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) — the federal law that protects consumers from abusive, deceptive, and unfair debt collection.

You'll learn what the FDCPA actually covers, who it applies to, and the concrete rights it gives you, including limits on when and how collectors can contact you, your right to demand that contact stop, and your right to dispute a debt and force verification. Efstathios also explains the validation notice collectors are required to send, the damages available when the law is violated — including statutory damages and attorney fees — and the layered protections New York consumers have beyond the federal floor under New York General Business Law § 601 and NYC's consumer protection rules.

Finally, he covers why documentation is everything when pursuing an FDCPA claim, the strict one-year statute of limitations, and how hiring a law firm can stop collector contact the moment you're retained. Knowing the rules changes how you experience the collection process. You are not powerless.

If debt collectors are contacting you and you believe their conduct may be crossing legal lines, Georgiou Law can help you evaluate your situation and understand whether your rights have been violated. Call (917) 764-3072 or visit georgioulawpllc.com to learn more. Georgiou Law represents New York consumers in credit card debt defense and consumer debt settlement.

This podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Listening to this episode does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Send us Fan Mail

Sewer Service: The Hidden Judgment You Never Knew Existed

If a judgment has been entered against you and you were never served with a lawsuit, New York law may give you a powerful remedy — with no time limit to assert it. In this episode, attorney Efstathios Georgiou breaks down one of the most pervasive and least understood problems in New York consumer debt litigation: sewer service.

What You'll Learn:

• What sewer service is — and why it's illegal, widespread, and documented at the highest levels of New York enforcement
• How creditors and debt buyers obtain default judgments against consumers who were never actually served
• Red flags that suggest your default judgment was obtained through improper service
• CPLR § 5015(a)(4) — why a jurisdictional motion to vacate carries no time limit, even if the judgment is years old
• What a Traverse hearing is and how cross-examining the process server can expose deficient or fabricated service
• What happens after vacatur — your right to answer, raise defenses, and litigate or settle on the merits
• How to stop active wage garnishment or bank levies while a motion to vacate is pending

This episode is for you if:

✔ You discovered a judgment through a frozen bank account or wage garnishment ✔ You never received any court papers about a lawsuit ✔ The affidavit of service describes someone who doesn't live at your address ✔ You assumed the judgment was too old to challenge

Take Action:

A judgment you didn't know about is not necessarily a judgment you have to live with. At Georgiou Law, we handle motions to vacate default judgments in New York City courts and evaluate whether improper service is the basis for setting aside judgments — including judgments that are years old.

📞 Call now for a consultation: 917-764-3072 🌐 Georgiou Law, PLLC | 14 Wall Street, New York, NY Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future ®

Send us Fan Mail

Clear Your Debt, Claim Your Future — Episode Summary Presented by Georgiou Law, PLLC

What We Covered

Your credit report is a document — and documents can contain errors. In this episode, we walked through how debt settlement and lawsuit resolution affect your credit file, what creditors are legally required to report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and how to dispute errors that are more common than most people realize.

Key takeaways: negative items stay on your report for up to seven years from the date of first delinquency — not forever. A settled account is reported as "settled for less than the full amount," which is negative, but far better than an unpaid charge-off. After any resolution, your creditor must update your report to reflect a zero balance. If they don't, that is an FCRA violation. You have the right to dispute it — and if the investigation is inadequate, you may have a right to sue.

Credit rebuilding after resolution is real, and it happens faster than most people expect.

Ready to take the next step?

If you are facing a debt lawsuit, currently in settlement, or have already resolved a debt and suspect your credit report still contains errors, call Georgiou Law at (917) 764-3072 or visit georgioulawpllc.com. A resolution that leaves bad credit reporting in place is an incomplete resolution — and we can help you finish the job.

Send us Fan Mail

Episode Summary

One of the most powerful — and most misunderstood — defenses in credit card debt lawsuits is the statute of limitations. In this episode, attorney Efstathios Georgiou breaks down how long creditors and debt buyers actually have to sue you in New York, when that clock starts, how it can be restarted, and what happens if you don't raise the defense. If you've been sued on old debt, this episode could change the outcome of your case.

What We Cover:

• New York's 3-year statute of limitations following the Court of Appeals ruling
• When the clock starts — and why the charge-off date and last payment date aren't always the same
• How partial payments and written acknowledgments under NY GOL § 17-101 can revive a time-barred claim
• When suing on stale debt becomes an FDCPA violation — and how consumers can fight back
• Choice-of-law issues under CPLR § 202 when a card agreement specifies Delaware or Virginia law
• Why this defense must be raised in your answer — and why showing up matters

Key Takeaways:

• The statute of limitations in New York for credit card debt is 3 years — not 6
• This defense does not erase the debt; it removes the creditor's right to enforce it through a lawsuit
• A successful defense means no judgment, no garnishment, no bank levy — for zero dollars paid
• Never make any payment on old debt without legal advice first

Were you sued on old credit card debt?

Call Georgiou Law, PLLC for a free confidential review of your timeline: (917) 764-3072

Georgiou Law, PLLC · 14 Wall Street, Suite 2094 · New York, NY 10005

Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Clear Your Debt Claim, Your Future, we break down what happens after a court judgment is entered against you—and why it’s not the end of the road.

A judgment means the court has legally determined you owe a debt, giving creditors powerful tools to collect. In New York, judgments last 20 years and accrue 9% annual interest, so ignoring them can quickly make things worse.

We cover the main ways creditors enforce judgments, including:

• Wage garnishment, which can reduce your paycheck 
• Bank account restraints and levies, which can freeze or seize funds 
• Information subpoenas, requiring you to disclose financial details under oath 

But you’re not without options. The episode explains key strategies, such as:

• Vacating a default judgment if you didn’t respond to the lawsuit and have a valid excuse and defense 
• Negotiating a settlement or payment plan, even after judgment 
• Using legal exemptions that protect certain income and assets (like Social Security, retirement accounts, and some personal property) 

We also highlight how judgments can attach as liens to real estate, affecting your ability to sell or refinance your home.

The big takeaway: time matters. The longer you wait, the more interest builds, enforcement intensifies, and your legal options narrow.

If you’re dealing with a judgment, understanding your rights and acting quickly can make a significant difference in your outcome.