A woman who lost a consumer credit lawsuit that she said she didn’t know existed until after her wages were garnished alleges in appellate filings that, because of courts’ misreading of case law, debt collectors are allowed to use fraudulent means to win default judgment.

In a matter now pending before the Appellate Division, First Department, Sharae Banks—represented by counsel from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, the New Economy Project and the Legal Aid Society—alleges that she was a victim of “sewer service,” in which collectors intentionally fail to properly serve debtors and submit phony affidavits of service to court.