NOW HE'S TRACKING PROCESS SERVERS

I'm writing to ask you to join me in protecting a fundamental right:  the chance to defend yourself in court.

There is a disturbing trend at work in New York.  Tens of thousands of residents are being sued for old debts, which they may or may not truly owe -- yet they only learn that they have been sued after they lose their cases and discover that their bank accounts have been frozen.  The reason this comes as a surprise is that they were never properly served their court papers, which is known as "sewer service." 

For more information on this challenge, I invite you to view this segment from NBC News .

The lack of due process rights in consumer debt cases undermines our entire legal system and is having a particularly harmful effect on working families.  Today, we took decisive action to protect the rights of all New Yorkers -- and now I hope we can finish the job together.

By a vote of 45-0 (with one abstention), the Council passed Intro 6-A , a bill I authored to reform the process service industry.  These new and tough regulations include licensing, education, insurance and accountability standards, as well as the use of GPS technology to prove that process was actually served at the time and location that was claimed.  Ultimately, this legislation will give New Yorkers peace of mind that they will not lose thousands of dollars in court cases they didn't even know about.

Contact the Mayor  and ask him to sign Intro 6-A into law.  New Yorkers' right to defend themselves in court must be protected.

Special thanks to MFY Legal Services for their advocacy on this issue, and to Speaker Christine Quinn and Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Karen Koslowitz for their support.

Sincerely,