Bill > A2059

Introduced Session

This bill would eliminate court filing fees for individuals who are sued to collect consumer debt. The bill provides that no such individual could be charged a court fee to file an appearance, an answer to a complaint, a counterclaim, a cross-claim, or a third-party complaint in the Special Civil Part of the Superior Court, Law Division, including a small claim, or in the Civil Part of the Superior Court, Law Division. The bill defines "consumer debt" as debt incurred by an individual primarily for a personal, family, or household purpose, and includes consumer credit and medical debt as those terms are defined under current law. According to reports, in the majority of lawsuits to collect a consumer debt, the defendant does not respond or try to defend against the lawsuit. As a result, courts often enter default judgments against these defendants, leading to additional fees and interest as well as garnishment of wages and bank accounts. Consumer debt claims are often for relatively small sums, in amounts less than $10,000. This bill is based on Benchmark 5 in the 2024 "Consumer Debt Litigation Index" by the National Center for Access to Justice.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Alaa Abdelaziz (D)*,  Shama Haider (D)*,  Melinda Kane (D)*,  Carmen Morales (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Consumer Affairs Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document