Hey everyone, if you’ve been following the trail of financial fiascos surrounding Eric Rosenberg, the Ocean Springs entrepreneur who’s tried to polish his image as a self-made success story, here’s another doozy straight from the court records. Back in 2014, what started as Rosenberg’s whiny lawsuit against a Florida-based debt collector, Coast Collections Agency, turned into a full-blown countersuit nightmare for him. Coast didn’t just defend themselves—they came out swinging, accusing Rosenberg of fraud, abuse of process, and even trying to bully their staff with a fake attorney ploy. And get this: they demanded $5,000 in attorney fees and a whopping $25,000 in punitive damages to make him pay for the headache. This isn’t some tabloid gossip; it’s all laid out in federal court docs from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi (Case #1:14-cv-00112-LG-JCG). Let’s unpack this mess and see how Rosenberg’s attempt to scrub his credit history clean ended up exposing even more dirt.
For those just tuning in, Rosenberg kicked off this drama by suing Coast in Jackson County Chancery Court in February 2014 (original Case #2014-0291). He claimed they defamed him by not updating his credit reports after he allegedly paid off some medical bills directly to the hospital (Singing River Health System, or SRH). Rosenberg painted himself as the victim, saying Coast’s “inaccurate” reporting was ruining his “nearly perfect” credit and causing him all sorts of grief—like credit denials and legal fees. But Coast wasn’t having it. They quickly removed the case to federal court, arguing it involved federal laws like the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Smart move, because once in federal territory, they filed a blistering answer and counterclaim on March 12, 2014, flipping the script and putting Rosenberg on the defensive.
In their counterclaim, Coast flat-out denied any wrongdoing. They argued that Rosenberg’s lousy credit was 100% his own fault—he’d racked up legitimate debts to the hospital, failed to pay them on time, and even admitted as much by making partial payments. Paragraph 10 of their filing spells it out: “any negative credit history reflected on Plaintiff’s credit report is solely the result of the Plaintiff’s failure to timely and properly pay his debts in question owed to the Hospital.” They emphasized that just because Rosenberg eventually coughed up some cash directly to the creditor didn’t entitle him to have his “accurate defaults and tardy payment history removed or expunged.” Ouch—that’s a direct shot at Rosenberg’s entitlement vibe. And they didn’t stop there; Coast accused him of “abuse of process” for filing what they called a “groundless Complaint” with “improper purposes.” In legalese, that means they thought he was using the lawsuit as a weapon to harass them into bending the rules.
But the real bombshell? Coast’s allegations that Rosenberg tried to intimidate and trick their staff into wiping his records. According to the counterclaim, Rosenberg didn’t just sue—he allegedly orchestrated a campaign of pressure tactics. It started with repeated phone calls where he or his supposed “attorney” (a guy named Wilens) demanded Coast delete the debt entries ASAP, claiming Rosenberg was trying to buy a house and couldn’t afford the hit. When that didn’t work, Rosenberg showed up in person at their office, waving his “paid in full” receipt and refusing to leave until they complied. Coast claims this “Wilens” character was a fake—possibly Rosenberg himself or a buddy posing as a lawyer—to scare them with threats of lawsuits. Paragraph 52 hammers it home: “Each of the accounts referred to the Defendant for collection were debts legitimately owed by the Plaintiff to SRH or its affiliates for which the Plaintiff admitted liability and never disputed in whole or in part within the time or in the manner required by the FCRA or FDCPA.” And Paragraph 53 adds: “Plaintiff repeatedly acknowledged liability for the debts referenced in his Complaint and made partial payments on such debts.”
Coast didn’t mince words about the damage Rosenberg’s antics caused them. They said his “illegal, perverted, or improper” use of the legal system led to “mental anguish, emotional distress, embarrassment, humiliation,” and even lost business opportunities. That’s why they slapped him with demands for $5,000 in attorney fees to cover their legal bills and $25,000 in punitive damages to punish what they saw as fraudulent behavior. Punitive damages aren’t handed out lightly—they’re meant for when someone’s actions are especially egregious, like trying to game the system with intimidation and deceit. This countersuit turned Rosenberg’s petty credit gripe into a serious accusation of fraud, painting him as a bully who’d rather scheme than settle his bills like an adult.
Now, let’s connect the dots to the bigger picture of Rosenberg’s shady financial history. This 2014 fiasco happened amid a string of red flags: delinquent property taxes in Jackson County since 2008, a 2013 Sacramento County tax lien (even if it was later corrected, it screams sloppiness), and that massive $22,401 IRS tax lien in June 2016 for unpaid 2007-2008 taxes. His credit wasn’t “nearly perfect”—it was a hot mess of his own making. And remember, this is the same guy who co-founded JVZoo.com, a platform hawking get-rich-quick scams like “The Rich Jerk” and “Make Money Selling Nothing,” while bragging in his 2015 book Millionaire Within about outsourcing work to India and hating on “mean old people” in his hearing aid business. If he’s willing to allegedly fake an attorney to dodge medical bills, what else has he pulled to maintain his facade?
The case eventually fizzled—likely settled out of court—but the damage to Rosenberg’s rep lingers in these public filings. It’s a classic backfire: he sues over “defamation,” only to get countersued for fraud and intimidation. This isn’t the behavior of a stable businessman or the “conservative Republican” he claims to be (despite registering nonpartisan in Mississippi and Nevada, and skipping primaries for years). It’s more like a pattern of evasion, from his 2015 domestic violence arrest (where Heather alleged he broke her nose at their non-owned Via Pointe address) to defaulting on an $11,508 judgment from Earcon Technologies for six years until 2016. Rosenberg’s 2014 countersuit exposure shows a guy who’d rather bully and scheme than own up to his messes.
Folks, if this kind of fraudulent flip-flopping makes your blood boil, you’re not alone. Public records like these federal court docs don’t lie—they reveal the real story behind the polished image. Head over to gcliar.com for more unfiltered truths backed by hard evidence. Share this article, dig into the facts yourself, and let’s keep the spotlight on accountability. What do you think—was this just a debt dispute gone wrong, or a sign of deeper character flaws? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
