Lynn Ellen Coleman

I offer personal, compassionate assistance with debt and consumer law issues to persons in the Piedmont Triad area of North Carolina.

Foreclosure Defense

Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Debt Relief

• Collections Defense
• Student Loan Law
• General Civil

• Free Consultation
  I offer a free online or telephone consultation.
• Credit Cards Accepted
  Debit cad only for bankruptcy. Credit card (all major cards) for other areas.
• Contingent Fees
  For certain consumer law cases only.
• Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
  I offer flat fees, contingency fees, and hourly fees depending upon the nature of the case.

North Carolina

Since 2000

Texas

1986-2000

St. Mary's University School of Law

J.D. | Law

1983 - 1986

Trinity University

B.S. | History, Political Science

1979 - 1982

North Carolina State Bar

Member

Current

National Association of Consumer Advocates

Member

2010 - Current

National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys

Member

2009 - Current

North Carolina Bar Association

Member

1999 - Current

Q. I live in a D. R. Horton mobile home. It's been ravaged with water damage. I'm in debt now. Can I join this suit?

September 7, 2023

A: You do not provide any information about the lawsuit you want to join. I am aware there are some class actions against that builder for their stick built homes pending in states other than North Carolina, and if you were a member of that class you would have been notified once the class is certified. You also do not give any specifics about when you purchased your home, when it was installed, whether or not it came with a warranty and how long the warranty was for. For these reasons, it is impossible for any lawyer to tell you whether you could join an existing lawsuit or whether you have claims you could sue them for now. There are statutes of limitation and statues of repose which require persons to bring lawsuits pretty soon after the discover defects in manufactured homes or protect the manufacturer from laibility after a certain number of years. Unfortunately, because we lack a lot of information it is not possible to answer your question in a general online forum like this. I suggest you have a personal consultation with an attorney in your area familiar with suing mobile home manufacturers for defects. A personal injury lawyer might be a good place to start. You will ahve to prove the defects caused your medical problems and not something else. ... Read More

Q. Is it legal for Lowes (or their delivery agent) to charge me a $3300 storage fee without prior notice or authorization?

August 29, 2023

A: The paperwork you signed probably says that you must pick up the cabinets upon notice of delivery or something to that effect. There is no law saying that they cannot charge a storage fee or that they have to disclose it to you beforehand. You should seek out alternative locations to store them if you feel the charge is excessive. It is unreasonable for you to expect them or their agent to keep the cabinets stored forever free of charge. $1,100 for 5 months of storage is not per se unreasonable. Look at how much you would have been required to pay for an equivilent mini storage space. Most even non climate controlled storage units in decent repair go for $75 a month or more depending upon size and cabinets can take up a lot of space. ... Read More

Q. Can I keep progressive from cutting a total loss check to the but here pay here lender who has now sold the contract?

August 22, 2023

A: YOU can't do anything about this unless you have a power of attorney from your sister. Your sister needs to demand written proof from the third party finance company who claims they hold the contract, by getting their name, mailing address and loan number and mailing them a letter asking for the proof. She needs to send written notice to Progressive that another lender is claiming they were assigned the lien and request they hold payment until the true owner of the lien can be ascertained. She needs to give copies of both of those letters to the car dealer in question. If Progressive cuts the check payable to your sister and the car lot as lienholder they should mail it to her and she should hold the check pending resolution of the dispute. If it is true that the car dealer sold the note, the check needs to be returned and reissued to the correct lienholder and your sister needs to work things out with the new owner to pay the note off. I'm assuming the dealer "verbally" agreed to take $4,000.00. This agreement will be denied by the shady dealer and is likely unenforceable. Your sister should look elsewhere for a replacement vehicle, regardless if the dealer ends up holding the loan or not. She needs to be prepared to make any regular monthly payments that were due or are coming due to whoever it is that proves they hold the note in order to avoid further damage to what is probably already poor credit. She should refrain from financing vehicles through buy here pay here lots if at all possible in the future. This is not insurance fraud per se but if you have an issue with it report it to the North Carolina Attorney General's office and the North Carolina Department of Insurance. ... Read More