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We all have a right to an attorney, and generally there shouldn’t be a need for one in small claims court — but it’s not always easy for people working to make ends meet to afford one — especially in cases involving debt. Debt buyers and third-party collectors last year filed a record number of small claims sessions involving consumer debt, most of them tied to medical bills — and they often win. GBH’s Liz Neisloss reports that small claims courts were supposed to be a venue for people to represent themselves, but people defending against debt claims often face lawyers or legal specialists representing the companies collecting the debt.
Before we dive deeper into this, let’s get to the latest headlines.
Four Things to Know Today
1. Citizens for Juvenile Justice cast a wide net by filing more than 90 public records requests with law enforcement agencies across Massachusetts, revealing a troubling pattern in a new report: Many police departments either openly permit cooperation with ICE or have no clear policy at all. Joshua Dankoff, the group’s director of strategic initiatives, told GBH News that this lack of clear oversight is fueling the arrest and detention of hundreds of people by ICE, often straight from police custody or the courts. Of the 62 police departments surveyed, 28 had policies supporting or requiring ICE collaboration, while 24 had no policy or failed to respond. Only three departments had rules limiting communication with ICE.
2. More than 70 unionized nurses at Tufts Medical Center voted no confidence in the operating room director, for failing to address complaints about a nursing shortage. In a letter hand-delivered to Anna DaSilva, executive director of perioperative services, nurses say they have “no confidence in [her] ability to manage Tufts OR Department safely and appropriately.” The hospital has seen significant turnover among nurses over the past couple of years, which nursing leaders say has become untenable over the last six months.
3. Forging ahead toward meeting its 2030 greenhouse gas reduction targets, Boston Mayor Wu announced Monday that the city plans to buy only electric vehicles and expand access to cooling centers during periods of extreme heat as part of a new five-year climate plan. The plan also says Boston has made significant progress toward its goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030. “It really is about how we sustain and deliver on the commitments that were made by not just announcing something and creating a new program, but then sticking with it and measuring it, and making sure the impact is what it was intended to be and delivering what we had projected was going to happen from that action,” Mayor Wu said.
4. There were big hiccups for two of Boston’s premier sports franchises over the weekend. After leading the Red Sox to a 10-17 record and last place in the AL East, team manager Alex Cora was fired Saturday. Meanwhile, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who led the Patriots to the 2026 Superbowl, missed the third day of the NFL draft and instead went to counseling; this comes after recent photos showed Vrabel and NFL reporter Dianna Russini embracing in a less-than-professional manner, causing an uproar.
MA Debt Courts: How 'coverage attorneys’ power creditor wins
The number of consumer debt cases in Massachusetts small claims court has increased by more than 60% over the last two years, reaching more than 146,000 cases in 2025. Debt buyers and third-party collectors are drawn to small claims court because it offers a swift way to collect debt. But critics say the process is unequal and tilts the system in favor of plaintiffs; defendants are rarely represented, while plaintiffs almost always have legal representation operating with little scrutiny.
GBH’s Liz Neisloss spent time in courtrooms watching clerk magistrates call one case after another, often when defendants haven’t shown up because they didn’t receive notice, didn’t recognize the name of the company suing them — which often bought the debt from another company — or couldn’t take time off work or school.
When defendants do appear, they’re often met with what’s called a coverage attorney: a lawyer not employed by the company suing them, but one who represents multiple debt collectors across many cases in a single session. That lawyer might not have the authority to negotiate a settlement. They might not even have all the details of the debt before the court.
“I think a lot of the coverage attorneys, they do the best that they can, but they’re just simply not provided enough information,” said Sandra Patterson, a former coverage attorney who now works for South Coastal Counties Legal Services. “There’s no way to be prepared for all of those cases.”
The lack of negotiating authority can cause cases to drag on: Conor Donovan came to Brockton District Court hoping to work out a payment plan for credit card debt, but the coverage attorney on his case lacked the power to negotiate. “I cannot pay that amount and still be able to live without putting myself in the red every month. I want to do the right thing,” he told the attorney.
Neisloss reports more on the mechanics and frustrations of the process here.
Dig deeper:
- Have an old or forgotten credit card bill? You might end up carless.
- The Debt Mills: How state courts grind through consumer debt cases
- Pet debt is on the rise. It’s landing more people in court.
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