A Binghamton attorney who defaulted on his law school loans dating back to the early 1980s cannot evade his obligations simply because a prior collection effort was dismissed, a federal judge has held.

Northern District Judge Glenn Suddaby (See Profile) rejected Craig Fritzsch’s res judicata argument, largely because the 1996 dismissal of a similar action was not based on the merits. Consequently, Fritzsch is potentially on the hook for at least $21,000.