Lawsuits & Collection Actions
Defense of breach-of-contract and collection suits filed by waste service providers, including magisterial district court, arbitration and Court of Common Pleas matters.
PENNSYLVANIA · WASTE, TRASH & RECYCLING CONTRACT DISPUTES
Waste service litigation.
Defending businesses against unfair hauler contracts.
Sued by your waste hauler? Facing a termination demand, surprise fees or a contract that keeps renewing? CDM LAW has handled hundreds of waste-service contract lawsuits brought by waste service providers.
Why it matters
A routine expense can become a costly dispute.
Monthly charges rise. New “fuel” and “environmental” fees appear. The provider says your contract automatically renewed for another multi-year term. When you switch haulers, you receive a demand for liquidated damages, a collection letter or a breach-of-contract complaint.
Attorney Christopher D. Mandracchia has successfully defended businesses in breach-of-contract and collection actions brought by waste haulers, and has litigated disputes over billing practices, substantial price increases, automatic renewals and charges imposed when customers change providers.
What we handle
Waste-service contract disputes,
from first invoice to final judgment.
Liquidated Damages & Termination Fees
A pre-set damages figure is enforceable only if it was a reasonable forecast of actual harm. If it’s really a penalty, it may be unenforceable. We test both the clause and the math behind it.
Price Increases & Hidden Fees
Review of rate increases, CPI adjustments, overage and container charges, and fuel and environmental recovery fees that are not government-mandated charges.
Evergreen / Automatic Renewal Clauses
We identify the original term, each claimed renewal, the notice window and required delivery method, and whether the renewal was properly invoked.
Notice & Billing Practices
Were price changes disclosed? Where, when and how? Notices buried in small print on an invoice may matter to your defense.
Affirmative Claims & Counterclaims
Breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, unilateral price changes the contract didn’t permit, overcharges, credits and overpayments.
Consulting & contract review
Not in a lawsuit?
We can still help you cut costs.
Most problems start long before a complaint is filed. CDM LAW offers comprehensive consultations and business consulting — including contract review of your current waste, trash and recycling agreements — so you understand what you signed, what you’re being charged and what you can do about it.
- Review of your current agreement and terms and conditions
- Invoice audit against your contracted rates, container size and pickup frequency
- Identification of renewal dates and cancellation windows before they pass
- Strategy to mitigate costs: renegotiation, revised terms or an orderly exit
- Negotiation of pricing, notice, renewal and exit provisions in new agreements
- Ongoing outside general counsel for vendor contracts
Our services
Representation, consultation
and prevention.
Litigation Representation
Defense and prosecution of waste-service contract disputes from demand letter through trial.
Comprehensive Consultations
A focused review of your agreement, billing history and options, with candid advice on next steps.
Business Consulting & Contract Review
Proactive review and negotiation of vendor agreements to reduce cost and risk.
What to gather
Bring these to your consultation.
Served with a complaint? Do not wait. Talking with a sales representative or collection department does not extend a court deadline. Many Pennsylvania written-contract claims carry a four-year limitations period (42 Pa.C.S. § 5525), but contractual notice, cancellation and court-response deadlines can arise much sooner.
- The signed agreement — all pages, including the terms and conditions on the back, amendments and renewals
- Invoices and payment history for the length of the contract (longer is better)
- Price-change notices, emails and correspondence with the hauler or its attorneys
- Termination or cancellation letters and proof of delivery (e.g., certified mail receipt)
- Date of your last pickup and when containers were removed
- Start date and contract with any new hauler
- Collection letters, demand letters, arbitration notices or court papers
Start your case review
Tell us about your waste service matter.
Complete this confidential intake form and our office will follow up to schedule your consultation. Prefer to talk? Call 610-994-0281.
Please share only a brief description of your matter until a conflict check is complete. Prefer to talk? Call 610-994-0281.
Attorney advertising. This page provides general information and is not legal advice. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Submitting the intake form does not create an attorney-client relationship; please do not send confidential information until a conflict check is complete.
Contact CDM LAW
Please reach out to CDM Law for any and all of your legal needs. We will reach out shortly after your request.
