Lewis, McDonnell & Associates: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

McDonnell & Associates LLC; McDonnell and Associates; Lewis McDonnell & Associates

Headquarters

Orange, CA

45 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Lewis, McDonnell & Associates from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Lewis, McDonnell & Associates?

"Lewis, McDonnell & Associates" is a trade name used by McDonnell & Associates LLC, a collection agency in Southern California. We could not find a working official website, so this profile relies on licensing and business records:

• New York City license. The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection lists McDonnell & Associates LLC, doing business as Lewis, McDonnell & Associates, as a licensed debt collection agency (2105106-DCA, first issued April 2022). Its address on that record is 600 City Parkway West, Suite 600, Orange, California 92868, with a contact number of (888) 263-8638.
• Texas bond. The Texas Secretary of State shows a debt collector bond for "McDonnell & Associates, LLC dba Lewis, McDonnell & Associates" at 2321 East 4th Street, Santa Ana, California, filed March 16, 2021. The record shows that bond as cancelled on July 8, 2024. You can search the Secretary of State's database for a current filing.
• BBB profile. The Better Business Bureau gives a start date of December 30, 2016, names Oscar Ruiz Canela as member manager, and lists mailing addresses in Tustin and Santa Ana. It lists alternate names including Lewis McDonnell & Associates, Maxwell & Bryant Group and First Capital Group.

The word "Associates" and the two surnames make the name sound like a law firm. We found no record showing that it is one; the records above describe a collection agency. If a letter says an attorney is involved, you can ask for the attorney's name and bar number.

Why Lewis, McDonnell & Associates May Be Contacting You

We could not verify which creditors this agency works for. Its letters or calls will concern an account that a lender, debt buyer or other business placed with it. Because the business has used several names, write down exactly which name the caller or letter uses, along with the mailing address and phone number, and compare them with the records above.

How to Check a Debt Lewis, McDonnell & Associates Says You Owe

• Get the validation notice and keep the envelope. The notice must name the current creditor and itemize the debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). Our page explains what a validation notice must include.
• Dispute in writing during the validation period, especially if the creditor's name is unfamiliar. Collection must stop until the agency verifies the debt.
• Ask for the original creditor and account number, and check them against your records or credit report.
• Pay only through a channel you can trace, and get any settlement in writing first.
• Check the limitation period. Texas generally gives four years to sue on a consumer debt (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers can't sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). Other states differ.

What Lewis, McDonnell & Associates Can and Can't Do

An agency collecting debts owed to others is a "debt collector" under the FDCPA (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6)).

• Like any collector, it may not falsely suggest that a letter comes from an attorney (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(3)).
• It may not threaten a lawsuit it doesn't plan to file (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(5)).
• It may not contact your family or employer about the debt, except to find you (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(b)).
• It may not call more than seven times in seven days about one debt (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)).
• In Texas, a third-party collector must keep a bond on file with the Secretary of State (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.101). See do collection agencies have to be licensed in Texas?

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Lewis, McDonnell & Associates. If a collector misled or pressured you, see our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Lewis, McDonnell & Associates or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• NYC DCWP license record 2105106-DCA (NYC Open Data)
• Texas Secretary of State: debt collector bond search (McDonnell & Associates, LLC dba Lewis, McDonnell & Associates, file 20210028)
• BBB business profile: McDonnell & Associates LLC (start date, principal, alternate names)
• CFPB enforcement actions search
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Lewis, McDonnell & Associates, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Lewis, McDonnell & Associates has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.