My name is Claudia Wilner, and I’m the Litigation and Advocacy Director for the National Center for Law and Economic Justice. As we prepare to enjoy time with family and friends this holiday season, I’d like to talk to you about some of the critical ways that our organization has fought for low-income families.
When you support our work through a charitable donation, you are supporting our efforts to combat predatory debt collection practices that victimize the most vulnerable communities among us. Many supporters have already stepped up to answer our call to action ahead of Giving Tuesday next week. If you have yet to donate, I am urging you to help us unlock our $60,000 matching gift opportunity this Fall. Anything you can give will be doubled, thereby maximizing your impact.
In 2020, we filed a federal class action lawsuit against University of Kentucky Healthcare and the Kentucky Department of Revenue over their predatory and unconstitutional debt collection practices.
The Kentucky Department of Revenue garnished wages, withheld tax refunds, and swept bank accounts to collect medical debts that many patients should not have owed, all without a court order. They also added a 25% collection fee and penalty interest rate, which some patients would have spent the rest of their lives trying to repay. Between 2009 and 2020, the State collected $76 million through these unlawful practices.
University of Kentucky Healthcare and the Department of Revenue ended their predatory practices because of our lawsuit—saving low-income Kentuckians millions in forced collections.
The National Center for Law and Economic Justice advances racial and economic justice through ground-breaking impact litigation, policy advocacy, and support for grassroots organizing. We have provided legal representation and support since 1965.
