WAGES
WAGES GARNISHED TO HELP PAY OFF ALL DEBTS AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE
ARE STRUGGLING CORONA VIRUS A
PANDEMIC LETTING MILLIONS
OF AMERICANS OUT OF WORK.
>> JUST PRICES THERE'S THE HUGE
ECONOMIC TOLL ON AMERICAN
FAMILIES IS STUNNING EVIDENCE
OF AN ECONOMY THAT'S SUDDENLY
HIT A BRICK WALL DOING DESCRIBE
PBOT DEBT COLLECTORS ARE
GARNISHING WAGES.
GARNISHING WAGES. >> THEY'RE TAKING MONEY OUT
OF PEOPLE'S PAYCHECKS WHEN THEY
CAN LEAST AFFORD IT FOR THEM TO
START GARNISHING DURING A TIME
WHEN PEOPLE ARE REALLY, TRULY
STRUGGLING.
STRUGGLING. IT'S RIDICULOUS.
IT'S RIDICULOUS. DINA MCGYVER WAS LIVING
PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC HIT.
PANDEMIC HIT. NOW THE BEAVERTON WOMAN IS IN
DANGER OF NOT BEING ABLE TO
MAKE RENT.
MAKE RENT. AFTER A PRIVATE DEBT COLLECTORS
STARTED GARNISHING HER WAGES IN
JULY.
JULY.
JULY. RAY
JULY. RAY KLEIN ANK OR PROFESSIONAL
CREDIT SERVICE STARTED TAKING
ABOUT 20 PERCENT OF HIS
PAYCHECK.
PAYCHECK.
PAYCHECK. HE WAS A SIGNIFICANT HIT
ESPECIALLY AFTER HER WORK HOURS
HAD BEEN CUT DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. I'M ALREADY PINCHING PENNIES TO
GET BY AND NOW I GET TO PINCH
ME EVEN MORE.
I HOPE I LIKE RAMEN NOODLES.
THE DEBT IS FROM NEARLY 10
YEARS AGO WHEN DINA GOT
TREATMENT AT PROVIDENCE
PORTLADN MEDICAL CENTER OVER
THE PAST DECADE.
SHE'D LOST TRACK OF HOW MUCH
SHE OWED, MOVED A COUPLE
OF TIMES AND SAYS SHE NEVER
HEARD FROM PROVIDENCE AGAIN.
AT SOME POINT PROVIDENCE, ONE
OF THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST AND
RICHEST HOSPITAL CHAINS,
REFERRED DINA'S OLD MEDICAL
BILLS TO RAY KLEIN.
THE THING IS IS THIS DEBT IS
MORE THAN 10 YEARS OLD.
>> GARNISHMENTS CAN HAPPEN
AFTER DEBT COLLECTOR OR
CREDITOR FILES A SMALL CLAIM
AND GETS A JUDGMENT AGAINST
SOMEONE WHO OWES THEM MONEY.
SOME PEOPLE AREN'T EVEN AWARE
OF THE CORPORATE SEATINGS
BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN
INFORMED.
INFORMED.
INFORMED. THEY DON'T SHOW UP.
A JUDGE CAN ISSUE A DEFAULT
ALLOWING THE DEBT COLLECTOR TO
GO AHEAD AND TAKE A PORTION
OF THEIR WAGES.
>> I HAVEN'T SEEN A SINGLE
LETTER OR A PHONE CALL OR EVEN
ANYTHING EMAIL ANYTHING TO JUST
SAY CAN YOU PASS KENYON?
CAN WE WORK THIS THING OUT?
I COULD PAID OFF YEARS AGO IF I
KNEW ABOUT IT.
>> PHIL WHITE HAD LONG
FORGOTTEN ABOUT HIS OLD MEDICAL
BILLS FROM PROVIDENCE,
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND.
PORTLAND. HE'D SINCE MOVED TO SACRAMENTO
BUT IN JUNE A DEBT COLLECTOR
SUDDENLY STARTED GARNISHING HIS
WAGES.
WAGES.
WAGES. >>
WAGES. >> YOU KNOW, I MEAN TIMES ARE
TOUGH FOR ME AND DISCUSSION IS
TOUGHER.
TOUGHER.
TOUGHER. DESPITE VARIOUS PROTECTIONS FOR
PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO PAY
STUDENT LOANS, MORTGAGES OR
RENT DURING THE CORONAVIRUS
PANDEMIC, ONLY A HANDFUL
OF STATES HAVE STOPPED DEBT
COLLECTORS FROM MOVING AHEAD
WITH WAGE GARNISHMENTS AND MANY
OF THOSE PROTECTIONS HAVE NOW
BEEN RESCINDED.
BEEN RESCINDED. IN OREGON THERE'S NO SPECIAL
HELP FOR INDEBTED CONSUMERS
DURING THE PANDEMIC.
INSTEAD, IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL
FOR DEBT COLLECTORS.
A REVIEW OF COURT RECORDS FOUND
SINCE APRIL THERE'VE BEEN MORE
THAN 500 JUDGMENTS IN MULTNOMAH
COUNTY ALONE ALLOWING THE
GARNISHMENT OF WAGES.
>> I MEAN WE'RE LOOKING AT A
BIG DING OUT OF EVERY PAYCHECK
THAT I GET.
THE COLLECTION AGENCY RAY CLIM
REFERRED TO PROVIDENCE FOR
COMMENT.
COMMENT.
COMMENT. >> IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, A
PROVIDENCE SPOKESPERSON SAID
PROVIDENCES GOAL IS TO AVOID
SENDING ANY ACCOUNT TO
COLLECTIONS AND WE HAVE STEPS
BUILT IN TO PROVIDE MULTIPLE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PATIENTS TO
WORK ALONG WITH US TO RESOLVE
OR ELIMINATE ACCOUNT BALANCES.
ADDITIONALLY, PROVIDENCE SAID
DURING THE PANDEMIC IT HAS
ASKED THE COLLECTION AGENCIES
IT WORKS WITH INCLUDING RAY
KLEIN TO IMPLEMENT IMMEDIATE
ACTION SUCH AS CEASING TO
CHARGE INTEREST, POSTPONING
LITIGATION PROCEEDINGS AND
DEFERRING PAYMENT PLANS.
BUT DESPITE THAT REQUEST, RAY
KLEIN STILL FILED COURT PAPERS
FOR GARNISHMENT OF WAGES
AGAINST DINA IN JULY.
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A
PANDEMIC SHE SINCE MOVED OUT
OF HER APARTMENT AND MOVED IN
WITH HER BROTHER.
THE GARNISHMENT OF WAGES CAN BE
CRIPPLING, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE
BARELY GETTING BY DURING A
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC.
PANDEMIC. OK, CALABOOSE JOINING US NOW.
SO PROVEDE IS TOLD THE DEBT
COLLECTOR TO POSTPONE LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS BUT OBVIOUSLY THAT
DID NOT HAPPEN.
>> WHAT NOW?
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. WE PUSHED PROVIDENCE ON THIS.
THEY SAID LISTEN, WE'RE GONNA
GO BACK TO THESE DEBT
COLLECTION AGENCIES WE WORK
WITH AND MAKE SURE THEY CLEARLY
UNDERSTAND THESE LEGAL
PROCEEDINGS SHOULD NOT BE
MOVING FORWARD.
MOVING FORWARD. WORTH NOTING AS WELL.
PROVIDENCE SENT US QUITE A
DETAILED OUTLINE STEPS IT TAKES
TO WORK WITH PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY
CAN'T PAY.
CAN'T PAY. THEIR POINT IS DEAL WITH US THE
FRONT END.
FRONT END. DEAL WITH IT WHEN THE HOSPITAL
NOT WHEN IT GETS TO A THIRD
PARTY DEBT COLLECTOR BECAUSE
IT'S A MUCH DIFFERENT
SITUATION.
SITUATION. >> AND YOU'VE DONE A LOT
OF STORIES THROUGHOUT ALL THIS
NOT JUST ON MEDICAL BILLS BUT
AGGRESSIVE DEBT COLLECTING IN A
COUPLE DIFFERENT FORMS.
WHAT CAN YOU WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN
ABLE TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT
DOING ALL THESE DIFFERENT
STORIES WRITING AND IN SERIES
THE COST OF COLLECTIONS WE
REALLY FOCUSED THE CITY
OF PORTLADN THE FACT IT SETS
PEOPLE TO COLLECTIONS AS WELL.
>> WHAT'S INTERESTING DURING
THE COURSE OF REPORTING ON THIS
PARTICULAR STORY I FOUND
ANOTHER CASE WHERE A WOMAN IS
HAVING HER WAGES GARNISHED.
SHE WORKS AT DOLLAR Y BECAUSE
OF AN OLD WATER BILL WITH THE
CITY OF PORTLAND.
>> WHAT WAS INTERESTING TO ME
IS YOU'VE GOT THE CITY
OF PORTLAND HERE THAT ASKING
FOR LENIENCY FROM LANDLORDS FOR
INSTANCE, NOT TO EVICT RENTERS.
BUT WHAT IS IT DOING?
IT'S GARNISHING THE WAGES FROM
A WOMAN WHO WORKS AT $ TREE
FERN OLD WATER