Law Office of SaraEllen Hutchison, PLLC
Law Office of SaraEllen Hutchison, PLLC
When someone else’s bad debt or criminal history shows up on your credit report or background check, it can keep you from getting credit, insurance or a job.
I primarily help consumers with three main types of Fair Credit Reporting Act cases:
A mixed credit file is when information belonging to another person shows up on your credit report. You might have a similar name, birthdate or social security number to another consumer, and the computer says it's you.
You are a victim of identity theft, but the debt and other information that isn't yours is still on your credit report. You might even be getting collection calls for someone else.
False information in a background check can be due to a mixed file, identity theft, or other computer errors. It's humiliating and demoralizing to be denied an apartment or a job because of someone else's criminal history.
I’ve been practicing law since 2005, and for almost 15 years I’ve been helping consumers whose rights have been violated by banks, creditors and credit reporting agencies.
Here’s more about my background.
SARAELLEN IS ADMITTED TO PRACTICE IN THE FOLLOWING JURISDICTIONS
Washington State
State of Alaska
United States District Court for the Western District of Washington
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington
United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Washington
United States District Court for the District of Alaska
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
Pro Hac Vice:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals
SaraEllen has also been admitted pro hac vice to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, and the State of Colorado
NOTABLE CASES AND VERDICTS
Sedric Ward v. Shelby County, Western District of Tennessee Case No. 2:20-cv-2407-JPM-cgc ($561,000 jury verdict for economic damages against Shelby County for violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA); jury finding that Shelby County’s USERRA violations were willful affirmed by Court; final judgment $1,570,035.18. See, 2:20-cv-2407-JPM-cgc Dkt. 191.
Brandt v. Columbia Credit Servs.,Western District of Washington Case No. 2:17-cv-703-RSM ($288,967 judgment against debt collector Woehler under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act; see also 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 164445)
Boldt v. Quick Collect, Inc., Pierce County, Washington Superior Court Case No. 13-2-14613-0 ($206,218.30 bench verdict for Plaintiff against Quick Collect, Inc.)
McCrobie v. Transworld Systems, Inc., Pierce County, Washington Superior Court Case No. 18-2-6502-5 ($132,820.58 judgment against debt collector TSI under the Washington State Consumer Protection Act.)
Douglass v. Convergent Outsourcing, 765 F.3d 299 (3rd Cir. 2014) (precedential opinion under Fair Debt Collection Practices Act)
Easbey & Hart v. Standley et al, Clark County, Washington Superior Court Case No. 13-2- 03133-1 ($50,000 bench verdict for Plaintiff)
Asset Recovery Grp., Inc. v. Wilson-Codega, 2021 Wash. App. LEXIS 2716, 2021 WL 5298592 (Co-wrote Amicus on behalf of Northwest Consumer Law Center)
Fangsrud von Esch v. Legacy Salmon Creek Hosp., 738 Fed. Appx. 430, 2018 U.S. App. LEXIS 25976, 2018 WL 4360993 (and, after this case was remanded and was dismissed by the court at trial, defeated defendant debt collector’s motion for sanctions; see: Fangsrud Von Esch v. Legacy Salmon Creek Hosp., 2021 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50530, 2021 WL 1018926); prevailed on debt collector’s appeal of the order denying sanctions and Plaintiff was awarded costs; see: Fangsrud von Esch v. Asset Sys., 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 15084, 2022 WL 1772996.
For brevity, various other additional favorable rulings in trial courts are not listed here.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Speaker, National Consumer Law Center Annual Litigation Conference, 2017, 2021 and 2022
Speaker, National Association of Consumer Advocates Webinars, 2017, 2021 and 2023
Speaker, Washington State Association for Justice Consumer Law Intensive, 2015
PUBLICATIONS
Published in The Warrior and WSAJ Trial News Executive Committee, WSBA Antitrust & Consumer Protection Section
Published in the Trial Lawyers College Warrior Magazine
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Juris Doctor, cum laude, Georgia State University College of Law December 2004
Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude Eastern Washington University, 1999
Graduate, Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College, July 2012
Certified Professional Coach, The Life Coach School, September 2020
Certified Advanced Deep Dive Coach, Master Coach Bev Aron, December 2021
Professional Psychodrama Training Workshop with John Nolte & Kaitlin Larimer, 2014, Corbett, OR