Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Illinois

Violation of Privacy

I was behind on payments for a television I purchased from a rent to own place. I received collection letters about being late. I tried making arrangements but they wouldn't make arrangements. They kept calling to get their merchandise back but my plan was to catch up on payments. The day before yesterday I entered my apartment to find my television gone. A summons to appear in court was also on my coffee table along with documentation that they called a locksmith to get into my apartment. These people didn't have mine or my landlord's permission to enter my apartment without me being there. Is this legal? Can someone enter your private home with a locksmith to retrieve merchandise that I know I was behind on? I feel really violated.


Asked on 9/11/03, 4:13 pm

2 Answers from Attorneys

Mary McDonagh McDonagh-Faherty Law Offices

Re: Violation of Privacy

No, that was illegal. Countersue them.

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Answered on 9/11/03, 4:59 pm
Thaddeus Hunt Law Offices of Thaddeus Hunt

Re: Violation of Privacy

What they did was illegal. Whether or not they have a right to the property is irrelevant. An individual cannot simply break into your home and remove property. What they did was illegal from a civil and criminal standpoint. It sounds as if they have violated quite a few state and probably federal statutes. They have created a problem much bigger than not being paid for their property.

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Answered on 9/11/03, 11:42 pm


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