Practice Areas
- FDCPA Violations
- Debt Collection Defense
- Condo & HOA Liens
- Mechanic's Liens
- Class Action Lawsuits
- Arbitration Awards
- ATM Violations
- TCPA Violations
- Text Messages
- Junk Faxes
- FACTA Violations
- Wage & Bank Garnishment
Defending debt collection lawsuits and suing abusive debt collectors under the FDCPA
Attorney Profile
Attorney Scott D. Owens was raised in Amherst, New York (a suburb of Buffalo) and graduated from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo in 1996. In 2000, Scott made his way to Boston where he received a Juris Doctorate from the New England School of Law.
From 2002-2003, Attorney Owens worked at a major creditor's rights firm in South Florida. During that time frame, he litigated on behalf of the same companies that he opposes today (i.e. Chase/MBNA, Capital One Bank, Providian National Bank, Bank of America, etc.). Attorney Owens realized that the vast majority of people had no legal representation and those attorneys who did show up to court simply acquiesced to the matter and rarely defended the lawsuit on the merits. Scott believes that his experience on the other side of the aisle provides him with a unique understanding and perspective as to the inner workings of the collections industry.
In 2005, Mr. Owens formed the law firm of Cohen & Owens, P.A in Hollywood, Florida. One of the first cases which the firm took on involved a young woman whose life was turned upside down by a large national bank. Although she was a victim of account fraud, her credit card company reported her account as delinquent and put her into collections. The bank had summarily ignored the fact that she had filed a police report and provided the bank with multiple fraud affidavits. Attorney Owens, on behalf of his client, sued the bank seeking approximately $200,000.00 dollars in damages. After prevailing against the bank at the appellate level (on the issue of arbitration), the case was later settled for an undisclosed amount. Today, Mr. Owens practices almost exclusively in the area of consumer law, which in addition to defending consumer debt collection lawsuits also includes:
- Violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ("FDCPA") and the Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act ("FCCPA")
- Violations of the Florida Mechanic's Lien Law (i.e. Unlawful Construction Liens)
- Foreclosure Defense
- Tenant Eviction Defense and Tenant Security Deposit Litigation
- Violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act ("TCPA")
As a consumer attorney authorized to practice law in Florida at both the state and federal level, Scott D. Owens, Esq., will aggressively litigate your claim under the FDCPA.
Attorney Owens is admitted to practice in the Southern District of Florida as well as the Middle District of Florida. He is member of several prominent legal organizations, including the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the Federal Bar Association (Broward County Chapter), and the Third District Court of Appeal Historical Society.
Banks vs. Consumers (Guess Who Wins)
The business of resolving credit-card disputes is booming. But critics say the dominant firm favors creditors that are trying to collect from unsophisticated debtors
Dateline NBC Exposes the Sleazy Debt-Collection Industry
In some splendid investigative reporting, Hansen shows just how brazen third-party debt collectors can be. In one case, a collector threw a string of insults at a consumer. In another, a collector indicated that an alleged debtor was going to be thrown in jail.
Credit card companies can be as slippery as a handful of greased Jell-O. They have all kinds of tricks to gouge your wallet and drive up your bill. While arguably unfair, all these tricks are legal, leaving you no alternative but to stay as informed as possible to protect yourself.
Aggravated Cardholder Turns The Tables
This is the story of one man who, in some small way, is fighting back. It's the story of a man who, driven by the sarcasm of another, decided take on the system.