Law Office of Peter C. Merani, P.C

For those claiming any communications from this law firm are a scam—I am sorry to report that this place is painfully real. You can look up complaints they've filed in the NY state court system. That doesn't change, however, that it's full of some of the most incompetent, slimiest, unprofessional people you'll ever have the misfortune of interacting with. They told me I could provide documentation confirming I was experiencing financial hardship so that we could agree to some sort of payment plan or settlement. I filled out the necessary paperwork, got it notarized, and sent it to the law firm before the requested date. Only never to receive a response. I followed up; still no response. They eventually got a hold on my checking account for the remaining balance I owed them and more, and then told me I didn't qualify for a hardship payment plan or settlement because I had the amount in my bank account to pay the entire amount owed. I explained to them that that was my RENT MONEY; they didn't care, and didn't ask the bank to lift the hold. Eventually I was able to settle with them, but EVERY interaction with this law firm was an absolute headache. It's incredible these lawyers haven't been disbarred. If anyone at the law firm is reading this: representing your client's best interests doesn't necessitate acting sub-human. Maybe inject some decency and good will into your practice.

Rarely do I provide reviews, however, I feel compelled to address the negative, unethical, and unprofessional conduct exhibited by the Peter C. Merani P.C. Law Firm. My initial encounter with Peter C. Merani P.C. Law Firm occurred in spring 2022 while I was stationed in the Middle East. During my deployment, my spouse received a letter from the firm asserting that I owed them around $4,000 due to a default judgment related to toll violations and fees from 2015 to 2017. Upon learning this, I promptly contacted Peter C. Merani P.C. Law Firm to explain my military status and clarify that I possessed an active EZ Pass account, making it implausible for me to owe $4,000 in toll violations to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Regrettably, the individual I conversed with responded in a condescending and disparaging manner, insisting that my military status held no relevance and demanding to know solely how I intended to settle the debt. I emphasized my refusal to pay for toll violations that I had already paid through E-ZPass, to which he callously disregarded E-ZPass and pressed for details on when and how I planned to address the default judgment they had secured. Subsequently, I sought advice from my military Jag and was notified that Merani P.C. Law Firm had infringed upon my rights under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act by pursuing a civil case while I was deployed. After returning back home I was inundated with harassing letters, including one from the US Marshal threatening wage garnishment based on a legal motion filed by Merani P.C. Law Firm. With guidance from the US Marshal Officer, I took necessary steps to challenge the default judgment by filing a show cause order with the NYC civil court, resulting in the reversal of the judgment and the lifting of the garnishment. During the legal proceedings, the court provided me with all documents pertaining to the case conducted by Merani P.C. Law Firm. Upon examination, I discovered that the law firm had been sending legal notifications to an outdated address where I hadn't resided in over a decade. Consequently, their ability to obtain a default judgment against me was based on my failure to receive court documents and appear in court. Strangely, once the default judgment was secured, the law firm swiftly managed to contact me at my current address. Despite my repeated efforts to furnish evidence of my valid EZ Pass accounts and provide statements from EZ Pass indicating payment of tolls from 2015 to 2017, the firm adamantly persisted in pursuing the case. Finally, on August 9, 2024, the case (CV-014193-20/NY) was dismissed by the Judge. Engaging with Peter C. Merani P.C. Law Firm proved to be an arduous ordeal, and I am hopeful that a class action lawsuit may be initiated against them for their unethical and unprofessional behavior. Last Point The deplorable conduct of Peter C. Merani P.C. Law Firm is so widely recognized that numerous Civil Court employees express visible disapproval when the firm is mentioned, and provided me with guidance on addressing the complaint and ultimately aiding in the dismissal of the lawsuit. Update of 10/9/2024. I have no intention of deleting the post. All the points I have brought up in my posts are based on factual information. I referenced my case number, which is a matter of public record, to confirm the facts of the case and that the case was dismissed by the judge. This review is solely focused on my personal experience with your law firm and does not involve any other individuals. Your efforts to try to intimidate me, despite the fact that your case was dismissed, is quite amusing.

I've been receiving letters and emails from them for years but I never thought anything of it because the name in the documents was spelled differently and the license plate number was not mine. But on Thursday aug 3 a man came to my house and basically served me papers STILL not my correct name nor my license plate. so it must be someone else? regardless my lawyer told me to call them and I did (at 2:30 pm) and Heather very quickly updated the file number stating my address was a "bad address" and me and this guy "probably just have the same name and live in a similar area." You would think EZPASS would be better at investigating since those are the tolls these people are apparently evading. Long story short if you receive something from them that you know isn't you DON'T WAIT until some guy comes to your house just call them and tell them and they will fix things accordingly. *update: Monday feb 3 2025; received another form in the mail and called at 3:15 and spoke with a Malisa (I think thats how she spelled it) LOVELY women and she corrected my phone number and address as incorrect. fingers crossed this time sticks!

SCAM!!!!!!! For the past 2 months, this company has been harassing me saying I owe 4000$ in unpaid tolls from 4/2021-9/2022. But get this, the license plate they have listed on the lawsuit doesn’t even belong to me!!!! I’ve lived in NY and would travel between Ny & NJ often but I’ve never had a car registered in NY with said license plates nor have I ever been delinquent on paying my tolls. I had an EZPASS account that was on auto replenishment before I sold my car in December 2022. I’ve always paid my toll bills and my ezpass account balance was at $0.00 before I closed it in December 2022. I called the law office to inform them of this & I was told that it was made in error and to disregard the suit. However they are still sending me letters stating I owe money. This is a disgrace, please leave me alone! and do NOT pay these people any money if you are having the same issue!

They sent my work a letter saying we owed $3,380 in back tolls in NJ. I called to clarify that we don't own the vehicle they referenced nor have never done business in NJ. They said they removed our address and we should be all set. I got the impression that they have a bunch of wrong addresses. Certainly seems scammy to me. I added an additional star for the quickness and professionalism of the agent I spoke to, Charles. I'll update this review if we get another letter.