Portland, OR asked in Bankruptcy, Identity Theft and Small Claims for Oregon

Q: Ex girlfriend left my fiance with 15k of debt. What can we do?

My fiance lived with an ex girlfriend (they were never married) that he gave money to to cover their rent. She never made the payments and they didn't get evicted since this was during covid. Now they both have a 15k collection which has got us denied at other apartments. We saw on credit karma that payments are being made which we assume she is making. However we were curious what legal things we could do to get this off our record, and hold her account/responsible to that collection. He has concidered going bankrupt but I told him we should look into other things first.

2 Lawyer Answers

A: Bankruptcy is an option. So is a civil suit against the ex to recoup the money he lost.

James L. Arrasmith
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Answered

A: In your scenario, it may be an option to consider legal avenues to hold the ex-girlfriend responsible for the debt, possibly through civil court. To help build a case, gather any evidence of the agreement between them, such as bank statements showing the transfer of money for rent. Additionally, your fiancé might consult with a credit repair service or attorney to work on removing this from his credit report by negotiating with the creditors or disputing the debt with the credit bureaus; however, be aware that removing valid debts from a credit report can be challenging.

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