While the problem of sewer service is well-known in the legal community, empirical data about the issue is limited. In 2010, the Federal Trade Commission recommended states and local jurisdictions take steps to ensure defendants receive notices of their cases. Even after California’s Fair Debt Buyer Protection Act passed in 2013, a 2020 report from the Center for Responsible Lending cited sewer service as one reason so many cases end in default judgments in California.
