I was a recent immigrant to this country and I started classes at a four year university back in 1980. I was not aware of the different scholarships available and applied for all the loans that were offered without fully knowing the amount I ended up borrowing. I went to school part-time but unfortunately I did not finish.
25 years later, (in 2004) I noticed 30% of my paycheck was being deducted. Through my supervisor, I was able to contact my employer's payroll department and they gave me the phone number for a collections law firm in the city and state where I used to live. I contacted the firm, Wexler & Freidman, and they said that the garnishment was as a result of unpaid student loans. The firm used obfuscatory language and did not reveal the total amount I owed to the lending institution. I did not receive a summons to appear in court for the wage garnishment lawsuit and no information about the matter was sent to me in the mail. I then called the lending institution, which is a quasi-governmental agency, and they stated that the total amount that was to garnished was around $25,000. I do not agree with that amount
Is there any form of legal action I could take? Could I contest the grounds for the debt collection?