Delawaretalkradio.com Reports “Karen Weldin Stewart in Default”
A Maria Evans post contains some evidence which shows that Stewart, “was taken to court, in 2002 with American Express and in 2004 with Citibank,” and that in both cases there is a “default judgement in favor of plaintiff (s) for want of an answer by defendant.”
The post notes that according to her campaign, Ms. Stewart has since paid off her $10,000 debt to American Express.
Evans concludes:
So Karen Weldin Stewart, who wants to run the State Insurance Commissioner’s Office with a budget of tens of millions of dollars, a state office that has the responsibility of making sure financially unstable insurance companies pay their debts, can’t even manage $20,000 of her own debt, ended up in the Court of Common Pleas twice for not paying her bills and both times she didn’t even bother to answer the complaints
Note: It sounds pretty bad, but I’m not a lawyer so I don’t know if not showing up is standard in this type of case or not. Perhaps a commenter can speak to that point.
see the problem here is how it got to this point. Amex is famously known for sending it’s lawyers to collect on all their debts especially back then.
What you may be able to assume with both of these credit cards is that the debts were severly delinquent. An account doesn’t just go right to court it has to go 180 days past due (I think) before you can call out the dogs on people.
I think if true it does say a lot about being able to manage ones own personal life that is for sure.
Maybe the gaps in her resume explain the credit defaults… she wasn’t working.
Can’t pay the bills if you have no money.
KWS October surprise?
Take a gander at Downwithabsolutes. Proof is in the pudding.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but one does wonder why the State’s biggest newspaper didn’t check this out before endorsing.
I posed 5 questions to each of the Insurance Commissioner Candidates on my blog, and this was KWS’s response as to what was her inspiration to run for office.
“Karen Weldin Stewart: “I am running for Delaware Insurance Commissioner to set a higher standard – a higher standard in ethics and a higher standard in performance by using the experience I have to make the changes we need. Let me explain. The primary responsibility of the Insurance Commissioner is to make sure that the claims of policyholders are paid in full and on time. “
I guess if you have lawyers and backup financial support from family or elsewhere, you cannot imagine how something like that could happen, and it sounds “pretty bad.”
That particular recession created a new kind of debtor who for some months had little or no income – but who is an educated professional with good job prospects who intends to pay their debts. And when a creditor comes calling after three months, you cannot commit to any monthly payments at all. All you can tell them is that you will pay the whole thing when you find work – but that is not what their droids want to hear.
The credit workout scripts are meant to deal with people who have permanent low income, rather than a temporary interruption in a high income.
And hen you get back on your feet making an above-average income, and you have paid off that debt you were harassed about – guess what: you are SUB-PRIME.
When the history of the Bush economy is written, people who got into financial trouble will be as common as people who experimented with pot, or got student deferments to avoid the draft.
Unstable Isotope
“KWS October surprise?”
No that’s not it! I believe Christine O’Donnell will be asking Mike Matthews if he would marry her.
Fair points anon. The problem is that all the news and bits of information I get on this race makes me trust my gut more and more.
Cut us a break, anon. Weren’t the debts the result of her inability to raise money and thereby funding her political activities on her credit cards?
From one anon to another. Most responsible people make an effort to pay something -anything – to avoid a judgment. They call their creditor. They are responsible. She was not. She didn’t even make an effort. That is not someone who should be running for a statewide office. I have to agree with Jon. This is just unbelievable she has gotten this far. I listened to DTR yesterday. Her resume is full of holes. I heard her on a downstate radio station. She sounded completely insane. I don’t believe for one second she could handle that department or would in fact run the department. She’s way over her head.
That’s a fair point too, and most likely accurate. I am not defending KWS, just noting that in general, maybe a paid-off delinquent debt should not be a disqualification for office, given the history of the Bush economy.
but one does wonder why the State’s biggest newspaper didn’t check this out before endorsing
Not to let the NJ off of the hook, but chasing down the facts of KWS’s resume seems to be much like chasing spilled mercury. It just keeps moving and you never seem to get it all.
…and the little you collect you can’t swallow.
Well, I am either voting for Brady or nobody for this office…. but moving on to a more general point, I think people who got caught up in the machinery are much better equipped to deal with it, than are the people who rode blissfully above the machine pulling the gears and dining on the hamburger that comes out.
At the risk of stating the painfully obvious, it’s a lot easier making ends meet with a multimillion dollar budget than with a personal consumer one. It’s really easy to make ends meet if your debts are in the billions and you can go running to Congress. I don’t think it’s very liberal to ding someone for personal financial difficulties or even a bankruptcy. Smells of ad hominem.
There may be other reasons to disfavor Stewart. I’m sure there are better ones than this.
I don’t think it’s very liberal to ding someone for personal financial difficulties or even a bankruptcy. Smells of ad hominem.
I was about to say that the way this played out (her not showing up in court) looms larger than the fact that she got behind the credit eightball.
But that is not 100% true. The financial part is bugging me too.
Damn, does this mean I might have to vote for the R?
Talk me out of this, Jason. Is there an “About to vote for R” emergency crisis hotline I can call?
Can’t-Think-This…
Uh, any one remember People’s Settlement?
It’s all right, anonone. I voted for Denn last time around, and it didn’t hurt a bit.
Will you be voting for him this time?
Maybe Copeland will go broke too.
As I stated before when I pointed out Weldin Stewart’s true employment history (or lack thereof), I have known her for many years and can assure you that her debts on which she defaulted, along with many other ones, are NOT health-related. KWS believes herself entitled to the “finer” things in life and has a pernicious shopping habit, all on credit. It’s a wonder she hasn’t crashed and burned completely with that before now. Good to see people are finally catching on to this phony. Since she obviously can’t manage her own finances, she’s eminently unqualified to manage the multi-million dollar budget of the Insurance Commissioner’s office.
H, I’ll vote for Denn if you’ll vote for Lee.
Deal. Markell won’t need my vote.
KWS believes herself entitled to the “finer” things in life and has a pernicious shopping habit, all on credit.
*
WTF?? I know Karen and this doesn’t sound ANYTHING like her.
dude, we have to many anon’s !!!!!
get a real handle please…..I beg you
Nancy:
Everyone knows you’re Weldin Stewart’s bought and paid for campaign aide, but obviously you still don’t know her very well. You two are made for and deserve each other.
Gabby, are you the angel who is the voice and master of god? Wiki just told me so.
If so, please know that god knows I am not a part of the Weldin Stewart campaign, paid or otherwise. I do know her, like and respect her abilities.
My late mom’s lawyer, Jim Robb, just penned a wonderful letter of support for KWS in this morning’s paper. Robb is probably one of the most unimpeachable figures in the City of Wilmington when it comes to endorsements.
Jim Robb was Levinson’s hand-picked crony who ran for Insurance Commissioner in 1992. Jim Robb got upset that all Insurance Department employees put signs on their cars supporting his opponent, because, evidently, Jim Robb was an asshole roundly hated where ever he made an appearance.
I am so glad Levinson’s crony Jim Robb endorsed KWS; it’s like being endorsed by Bush.
Did anyone see on the mourningconstitution blog that KWS now blames her bad debts and judgments against her on 9/11??? She claims she worked for Marsh MacLennan (which she never did!) in NYC at the time but was given a day off and was therefore the only one of about 300 employees who was not killed in the attack. And the reason why she didn’t pay her debts is that she was mourning for 300 Marsh Mac workers (of whom she didn’t know a single one because she never worked there), and that’s the reason why she couldn’t work and didn’t pay her debts. That is the most shameful and preposterous lie I have ever heard anyone come up with. It should sink this impostor’s campaign for good if it’s publicized as it should be.