Can a colection agency send me a Sherrifs threarening letter in MAon a very old debt that is on my credit report twice?

It sounds as though you were sued on a debt, and failed to appear or defend yourself. That being the case, a default judgment was probably issued against you. It now appears that you have failed to appear at a further hearing, and a civil arrest warrant has issued.

You need to contact an attorney immediately. If the default judgment was entered against you fairly recently, it can probably be removed. Then you can have a chance at defending the underlying lawsuit.

Please do not hesitate to contact this office if you would like to discuss your matter further.

Because it is a civil case, I do not know of any pro bono attorneys that can help you with your problem.

The Sheriff was correct in that in you failed to show to court, a "pick up order" for arrest could have been issued against you. He probably did not give you any more information (being "secretive") because any more information could have been viewed as him giving you legal advice and court officials, the sheriff, etc are NOT allowed to do that whatsoever.

Depending on how large the default judgment is against you, it may be financially better for you to hire an attorney and try to get the judgment set aside. The success of this would depend upon both why you missed thehcourt date and the existence of any possible defenses that you have for your original case.

Kara O'Donnell
O'DONNELL LAW OFFICES
Quincy, MA
www.QuincyLegal.com