Manhattan Consumer Law Attorney

You buy a used car at a fair price, sign at the dealership, and weeks later, a mechanic finds frame damage and a washed salvage title that the seller never mentioned. Situations like this happen across Manhattan constantly, and the consumer usually feels powerless against a business with finance managers and fine print on its side.

Attorney Jeff Mehalic is admitted to practice in New York and represents consumers, never the dealers, lenders, collectors, or insurers on the other side. Mehalic Law PLLC helps New Yorkers cheated by deceptive sales, harassed by debt collectors, sued over old debts, or harmed by inaccurate credit reporting, using federal, state, and New York City consumer protection laws that often shift your attorney fees to the business when you win.

What does a Manhattan consumer law attorney handle?

A consumer law attorney represents individuals harmed by businesses, not the businesses. Mehalic Law PLLC handles auto fraud, lemon vehicles, debt collection harassment, debt lawsuits, medical debt, credit reporting errors, and unauthorized medical records access for New York consumers, pursuing damages and attorney fees under federal, state, and city law.

These cases share a power imbalance: a dealer, collection agency, or credit bureau holds resources that an individual rarely has. Mehalic Law focuses on the problems New Yorkers call about most:

• Auto fraud — odometer rollbacks, washed salvage titles, hidden damage, and high-pressure financing
• Lemon vehicles — new and used cars with defects that the seller cannot fix
• Debt collection harassment and debt defense — illegal collection tactics and lawsuits over old debts
• Medical debt and credit reporting — improperly reported bills and inaccurate credit information
• Unauthorized medical records access — a hospital employee viewing records with no treatment reason
• Banking errors — unauthorized debits and overcharges under the federal Electronic Funds Transfer Act

What consumer protection laws apply in New York and New York City?

New York’s General Business Law sections 349 and 350 bar deceptive acts and false advertising, letting consumers recover actual damages or $50, treble damages up to $1,000, and attorney fees within three years. New York City adds its own Consumer Protection Law, enforced by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

Section 349 covers deceptive practices, and Section 350 covers false advertising; a misled consumer recovers actual damages or $50 (whichever is greater), treble damages up to $1,000 for willful violations, and attorney fees. One point is widely misunderstood: the FAIR Business Practices Act, effective February 17, 2026, expanded the law to reach “unfair” and “abusive” conduct, but only for the New York Attorney General.

A private lawsuit still covers deceptive acts only, with the same damages. New York City layers on its own rules through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), which licenses debt collectors, used-car dealers, and home improvement contractors across the five boroughs.

Can I sue a New York car dealer for auto fraud?

Yes. Buyers defrauded through odometer rollbacks, hidden accident or flood damage, title washing, curbstoning, or “yo-yo” financing can sue under the federal Odometer Act and New York’s deceptive practices laws. The Odometer Act allows three times actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees.

Auto fraud takes a few recognizable forms, and the warning signs repeat:

• Odometer rollback — altering mileage to inflate a vehicle’s value
• Title washing — moving a salvage or flood vehicle between states to erase its history
• Curbstoning — an unlicensed dealer posing as a private seller
• Yo-yo financing — demanding new terms after you drive off, claiming the financing fell through

The federal Odometer Act gives a two-year window and damages of three times your loss or $10,000, whichever is greater, plus fees. A buyer can also sue under New York’s deceptive practices law, and used-car sales in New York City fall under DCWP’s secondhand-dealer rules. Cases can be filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, New York County, or the Southern District of New York.

Does New York’s Lemon Law cover my defective vehicle?

New York’s Lemon Law covers new vehicles under General Business Law section 198-a and used cars from dealers under section 198-b, which requires mileage-based warranties. If a substantial defect cannot be repaired after a reasonable number of attempts, you may be owed a refund or replacement, plus attorney fees if you prevail in court.

The New York Lemon Law runs on two tracks. The New Car Lemon Law (section 198-a) covers a vehicle bought within the earlier of 18,000 miles or two years, and presumes a fair repair chance after four attempts at one problem or 30 days out of service. The Used Car Lemon Law (section 198-b) requires dealers to give a written warranty scaled to mileage:

• 18,000 to 36,000 miles — at least 90 days or 4,000 miles
• 36,000 to 80,000 miles — at least 60 days or 3,000 miles
• 80,000 to 100,000 miles — at least 30 days or 1,000 miles

If the defect cannot be fixed, you may be owed a refund or a comparable replacement. New York offers free Lemon Law arbitration through the Attorney General, section 198-a(k) shifts attorney fees to a prevailing consumer, and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act adds another path, whether you bought the car in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or on Long Island.

How do I handle debt collectors and debt lawsuits in New York?

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lets you recover up to $1,000 plus actual damages and attorney fees for collector harassment. If you are sued over a debt, New York’s Consumer Credit Fairness Act gives you a three-year deadline and requires the creditor to attach the contract and prove ownership, defenses that defeat many cases.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act bars collectors from calling before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m., threatening arrest, posing as attorneys or officials, or discussing your debt with others. New York City’s SHIELD Rule, effective September 1, 2026, goes further, capping contacts at three per seven-day period and reaching original creditors, not just agencies. (It is unrelated to the 2019 New York SHIELD Act, a data-security law that shares the name.) When you are sued, the Consumer Credit Fairness Act works in your favor:

• The statute of limitations on consumer debt is three years, and a payment no longer restarts it
• The plaintiff must attach the contract and a charge-off statement and prove an unbroken chain of ownership
• Interest on consumer debt judgments dropped from 9% to 2%

Many cases collapse when the collector cannot produce these records. Consumer debt cases in Manhattan are heard in the New York City Civil Court, and the same defenses apply across Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk, and Dutchess counties. Never ignore a summons, because a default judgment hands the collector everything it asked for.

How do I deal with medical debt and credit report errors in New York?

Under New York’s Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act, providers cannot report medical debt to credit bureaus, and any medical debt that appears on your report is void. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires bureaus to investigate disputed errors, usually within 30 days, and lets you recover damages and attorney fees for failures.

The Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act bars hospitals, providers, and ambulance services from reporting medical debt to consumer reporting agencies, and any medical debt that lands on your report in violation is void. One limit: a medical bill charged to a general-purpose credit card can still be reported, because it becomes credit card debt. For other errors, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you a dispute process. Common problems include:

• Accounts that are not yours, from a mixed file or identity theft
• Paid or discharged debts still showing as unpaid
• Incorrect balances or dates, or the same debt listed twice

A bureau or furnisher that ignores a valid dispute can owe actual and statutory damages, attorney fees, and punitive damages for willful violations. New York’s own Fair Credit Reporting Act adds protections for Manhattan residents, and these claims can be filed in the Southern District of New York or in state court.

What if a hospital employee accessed my medical records without permission?

Unauthorized snooping into your records by a hospital worker can support a civil claim. In New York, claims focus on the provider’s own failures — negligent hiring, supervision, or weak safeguards — rather than holding the institution automatically responsible for a rogue employee’s actions. Each case turns on its specific facts.

A common and deeply personal version of this involves an employee inside a hospital or clinic, often tied to a family or relationship dispute, who opens a patient’s chart with no treatment reason and shares what they find. HIPAA sets privacy standards but does not let patients sue on their own, so claims arise under state law.

New York’s highest court has held that a provider generally cannot be held automatically responsible when an employee acts outside the scope of the job, which puts the focus on the institution’s own hiring, supervision, and access controls. Corporate breaches happen too; a 2026 class action in the Southern District of New York alleges that a major New York City health system left patient data exposed. Because the analysis is fact-specific, have the details reviewed promptly.

What money damages can New York consumers recover?

Depending on the law, New York consumers may recover actual damages, fixed statutory damages, and sometimes treble (triple) damages. Most consumer statutes shift attorney fees to the losing business, so winning consumers keep their recovery, and some claims allow rescission, undoing the deal entirely.

Several remedies can apply to one case, and the fee-shifting structure is what makes them worth pursuing even for modest amounts:

• Actual damages — your real losses, such as overpayments and repair costs
• Statutory damages — a fixed amount set by law, available without proof of large harm
• Treble damages — triple recovery under statutes such as the federal Odometer Act
• Attorney fees — paid by the business when you win, under the FDCPA, FCRA, and others
• Rescission — unwinding a fraudulent deal so you return the product and recover what you paid
• Punitive damages — for certain willful violations, though not under every statute

Contact a Manhattan Consumer Law Attorney

If a dealer, lender, debt collector, or credit bureau has taken advantage of you, attorney Jeff Mehalic can help you understand your rights and pursue what you are owed. Mehalic Law PLLC represents consumers, and only consumers, across Manhattan, the five boroughs, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley, under federal, New York State, and New York City law.

Most consumer statutes shift your attorney fees to the business when you win, so we typically handle these cases with no upfront cost to you. Call Mehalic Law PLLC at 304-873-9186 for a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Consumer Law in New York

Can attorney Jeff Mehalic represent me if his office is not in Manhattan?

Yes. Attorney Jeff Mehalic is admitted to the New York bar and represents consumers throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester, and Dutchess County. Much of consumer litigation runs on written filings and scheduled court appearances, so you do not need a lawyer on your block.

How much does a consumer law attorney cost?

Mehalic Law PLLC offers a free consultation, and most cases run on contingency or under statutes that make the business pay your attorney fees when you win. That structure lets consumers challenge far better-funded opponents.

What should I do right after I realize a business cheated me?

Save contracts, receipts, and messages, and note dates and names from phone calls. Do not pay an amount you dispute, since payment can look like an admission. File complaints with DCWP, the New York Attorney General, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, then talk to an attorney before any deadline passes.

Can I still sue if I signed a contract with an arbitration clause?

Often these clauses push disputes out of court, but they are not always enforceable, and some consumer statutes limit them. Courts have struck down clauses that are unconscionable or that waive statutory rights. Have your contract reviewed.

What about contractor fraud or undisclosed defects when buying a Manhattan home?

Those are consumer matters too. A contractor who abandons a job, or a seller and agent who hide known defects, can face claims under New York’s deceptive practices and disclosure laws. Home improvement contractors in New York City must be licensed through the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

Is there a deadline to bring a consumer claim in New York?

Yes, and it varies: one year for a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act claim, two years for an Odometer Act claim, and generally three years for a Section 349 claim or a consumer debt lawsuit. Missing a deadline can end your case, so consult an attorney promptly.