Gurstel Law Firm Reviews and Complaints: What the Record Shows and What to Do (2026)

Who Gurstel Law Firm is

Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. is a Minnesota business corporation. The Minnesota Secretary of State lists it as active and in good standing, file number 9G-255, first filed on July 9, 1996 (the record is marked as a law professional service) The same corporation later filed name changes to Gurstel, Staloch & Chargo, P.A. in 2006, to Gurstel Chargo P.A. in 2010, and to Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. in 2017. Older court cases use those earlier names.

The firm's history page says Todd Gurstel, its chief executive, founded it in 1997 in Minneapolis. The state filing and the BBB's business start date are both July 9, 1996.

Besides the Golden Valley headquarters, the firm's contact page lists offices in Scottsdale, Arizona; West Des Moines, Iowa; Sacramento and Fullerton, California; Omaha, Nebraska; Las Vegas, Nevada; West Valley City, Utah; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its main number is 877-344-4002. Its history page also names Wyoming among the states it serves, though no Wyoming office is listed.

The site footer shows California debt collection license 10361-99 and NMLS ID 2249580, and states that the firm "is a law firm with a primary business purpose of debt collection" and that its communications are an attempt to collect a debt.

The firm describes consumer collection work for banks, healthcare, retail and telecom creditors, and a commercial practice that recovers business to business accounts "and their guarantors", including litigation through judgment, post-judgment enforcement and replevin of collateral. In the sources checked, it presents itself as a law firm working for creditors, not as a lender, funder or debt buyer.

The public record at a glance

• BBB rating and accreditation. A plus, BBB accredited since August 28, 2020, as checked on November 13, 2026. The BBB names Todd Gurstel, CEO, as the principal contact.
• BBB complaints. 51 in the last three years and 11 in the last 12 months, as of November 13, 2026. The BBB lists 34 customer reviews.
• CFPB complaint database. 603 complaints name Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., received from August 2013 to October 2026, as of November 13, 2026. 309 of them were received in the three years before that date and 114 in the last 12 months. 559 are filed under debt collection, and 321 of those are tagged as credit card debt.
• Federal enforcement. A search of the CFPB's enforcement actions on November 13, 2026 returned no action naming the firm. We found no federal enforcement action against it, and a web search for state attorney general consent orders or settlements naming it found none.
• Federal dockets with Gurstel in the case name. CourtListener shows 163 federal dockets with Gurstel in the case name, under the current and earlier firm names, and 15 of them were filed since November 13, 2023. Being named in a lawsuit is not proof of wrongdoing.

A complaint count is not a finding. The CFPB database publishes what consumers report, and the BBB displays what complainants and the business each say. Read the numbers as a map of what people dispute, not as a verdict.

What the complaints say

The CFPB data shows what consumers most often report. The top issue labels are "took or threatened to take negative or legal action" (149 complaints), "attempts to collect debt not owed" (147), "written notification about debt" (101) and "false statements or representation" (67). The most common sub issues are being sued without proper notice of the lawsuit (64), not receiving enough information to verify the debt (64), debt said not to be the consumer's (60), suit threatened on a very old debt (46), identity theft (43) and the wrong amount (38).

The company response is "closed with explanation" on 583 complaints. Ten closed with non monetary relief, and 602 of the 603 were marked as answered on time. Arizona accounts for 210, Minnesota for 128, California for 111, Utah for 43, Nebraska for 32, Iowa and Nevada for 26 each and Wisconsin for 14.

Two lessons: keep dated proof of every dispute, payment and court paper, and if you think you were never properly served, check the court records now.

Lawsuits and court decisions

Here is what four published decisions involving the firm actually show. Three were decided under its earlier name, Gurstel Chargo, P.A.

• Micks v. Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. (D. Minn. 2019, 365 F. Supp. 3d 961). The firm, as counsel for the owner of a private student loan the plaintiff had co signed, obtained a judgment against her in Hennepin County and began garnishing her wages. After the state court vacated that judgment in July 2017, the federal court found, the firm kept garnishing her wages. It granted her summary judgment on FDCPA liability and denied the firm's motions for summary judgment and sanctions. The firm said it first learned of the order after the suit was filed and released the garnishment the next day; the court held the bona fide error defense unavailable. The state-court dispute over the underlying debt was still pending. We did not review any later developments.
• Demarais v. Gurstel Chargo, P.A. (8th Cir. 2017, 869 F.3d 685). A consumer alleged that the firm, suing for a company that said it had acquired a charged off Citibank debt, came to trial without witnesses or evidence, asked for a continuance when he appeared with a lawyer, dismissed the case, and then served discovery requests in the dismissed case. The district court dismissed his claims. The Eighth Circuit reversed and sent the case back, holding that he had plausibly alleged FDCPA claims. These are allegations accepted as true at the pleading stage, not findings, and we did not review how the case ended.
• Scheffler v. Gurstel Chargo, P.A. (8th Cir. 2018, 902 F.3d 757). A former debt collector claimed a garnishment cover letter and a later phone call violated his request to stop contact and were deceptive. The district court granted the firm summary judgment, and the Eighth Circuit affirmed, holding that the letter was accurate and that by calling and asking about the debt he had waived his cease letter for that conversation.
• Ness v. Gurstel Chargo, P.A. (D. Minn. 2013, 933 F. Supp. 2d 1156). A putative class action challenged state court suits the firm brought for TEM Capital, a company that bought consumer debts. The decision describes Todd Gurstel and Mitch Chargo as shareholders of the firm and owners of TEM, as the complaint alleged. The court granted the defendants' motion to dismiss the second amended complaint.
• Recent federal filings. Fifteen federal dockets with Gurstel in the caption were filed between November 2023 and November 2026: ten in the District of Minnesota, two in the Central District of California, one in the Southern District of California and two in bankruptcy courts in Minnesota and Wisconsin. The most recent is Holan v. Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. (D. Minn. No. 0:26-cv-04581, filed October 22, 2026). We read only the docket information, not the pleadings, so this page does not describe their claims or outcomes.

Put plainly: the firm sues for creditors, and its name appears in many federal case captions. One court found it liable under the FDCPA for garnishing on a vacated judgment, one appeals court let a consumer's claims about its trial practices go forward, and two decisions went the firm's way. Read its paperwork carefully, and do not ignore it.

Why the firm is contacting you or your business

Because a creditor or a debt buyer has placed an account with it. On the consumer side, most CFPB complaints concern credit card debt. The court decisions above show the firm suing for the owner of a private student loan, for a company that said it had acquired a charged off Citibank debt, and for a company that bought consumer debts. On the business side, the firm's own commercial page says it collects business to business accounts and pursues guarantors, and lists litigation through judgment, post-judgment enforcement and replevin. If you signed a personal guarantee, the creditor can pursue you as well as the company.

A law firm letter can come before suit, during a lawsuit, or after a judgment, when the work shifts to garnishments, levies or liens. The paper you received tells you which stage you are in. Read it before you call.

Your rights: which rules apply to which debt

The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act applies to consumer debts. The statute defines a debt as an obligation arising from a transaction that is primarily for personal, family or household purposes. For a consumer debt, you can dispute the debt in writing and ask for verification within the window stated in the first notice. Once you dispute in writing within that window, the collector must pause collection of the disputed amount until it mails verification. A law firm that regularly collects consumer debts owed to others can be a debt collector under the statute, and a consumer's suit under it generally must be brought within one year of the violation.

A business debt is generally outside the FDCPA. A business credit card, a business loan, an equipment lease or a supplier account is usually a commercial obligation, even when the owner signed a personal guarantee. Contract terms, court rules and general law still apply.

Minnesota's collection agency law reaches business accounts, but not lawyers. Minnesota Statutes sections 332.31 to 332.44 license and regulate collection agencies. Section 332.31, subdivision 3, defines a collection agency as a person engaged in the business of collection for others of "any account, bill, or other indebtedness", or a debt buyer, and that wording is not limited to consumer accounts. But section 332.32 says the term "collection agency" does not include lawyers. On the statute's text, a law firm collecting as lawyers falls outside that chapter.

Minnesota draws a consumer line in court too. Section 548.101 requires a party seeking a default judgment on an assigned consumer debt, one primarily for personal, family or household purposes, to submit evidence of the contract, the amount and the chain of assignment. That extra proof rule does not apply to a business debt.

Time limits. Under Minnesota Statutes section 541.05, an action upon a contract must generally be commenced within six years. Section 541.053 sets the same six years for a consumer debt and adds that, once that period runs out, a later payment, a bankruptcy discharge or a reaffirmation does not revive it. Other states set their own rules.

Personal guarantees. A guarantee is a separate promise by you to pay the company's debt. It is a common way a business account can reach your personal assets. Find the application or agreement and read the section on liability before you respond.

What to check in your own paperwork

• Who the creditor is. Ask in writing whether it is the original lender or a buyer of the account, and if a buyer, to show it owns your account.
• Which person or entity owes it. Is the account in the company's name, your name, or both? Look for a personal guarantee or a clause making you jointly liable.
• Whether it is a consumer or a business account. The answer decides whether the FDCPA and Minnesota's extra default proof rule for consumer debt apply. Keep the application and statements that show what the credit was for.
• The balance and how it was built. Ask for an itemized statement: principal, interest, fees and any payments credited. Compare it with your own bank records.
• Whether a suit or judgment already exists. Search the court records for your county; in Minnesota a served case may not be there yet, so the papers themselves count. If a judgment exists, get its date, amount and file number.
• Time limits. Note the date of your last payment and which limit applies. A lawyer can tell you whether the claim is timely.

If a lawsuit has been filed

The plaintiff will be the creditor or debt buyer, with Gurstel as its lawyers. In Minnesota district court, Rule 12.01 of the Rules of Civil Procedure says a defendant shall serve an answer within 21 days after service of the summons, unless the court directs otherwise. Other states where the firm sues set their own deadlines, and the deadline that applies to you is the one on your summons.

A Minnesota suit can start before it is filed. Under Rule 3.01, a civil action is commenced when the summons is served on the defendant, and Rule 5.04 gives the plaintiff up to a year after that to file it with the court. The Minnesota Attorney General's guide says a served summons will not always have a court file number, and the court may not know about the case yet. That does not make it fake. The Attorney General's guide says not to assume a served summons is fake; check the summons deadline and talk to a lawyer.

If you do not answer, the plaintiff can ask for a default judgment, and a judgment can lead to garnishment of wages or bank accounts and liens, subject to exemptions. A company and an owner sued on a guarantee are separate defendants, each with its own deadline.

Filing an answer does not end the chance to settle. It keeps it open. This page is general information, not legal advice. If you have been sued, talk to a lawyer licensed in the state where the case was brought.

Can a balance Gurstel is collecting be settled?

Sometimes, if the creditor agrees. The firm's website invites people to "propose an offer of resolution" and says its team will discuss options for immediate payment, payment plans and resolution of the account. Any reduction is generally the creditor's decision, and the firm acts for that creditor.

Whatever you agree, get it in writing before you pay: the amount, the schedule, and that it settles the account in full for every person and company named. If there is a lawsuit, the agreement should say how the case will end, and you should get a copy of what is filed with the court. If there is a judgment, ask for proof that it has been satisfied, then check that any garnishment has been released.

Business Debt Adjusters negotiates business debt, including business credit cards, business loans and merchant cash advances. We've resolved over $500 million in business debt across 11 years, and our clients rate us 4.7 stars across 246 Google reviews. We review the agreement, the guarantee, the balance and any court filings, and we tell you what is realistic before you commit to anything. Business Debt Adjusters is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation. If several debts are pressing at once, see how business debt settlement works and business credit card debt relief. If a merchant cash advance is part of the picture, see how MCA debt relief works, whether a merchant cash advance is a loan, and settlement versus bankruptcy. If your papers come from a different collection law firm in California, our Hunt & Henriques review covers that firm's record and California's rules.

When you need a lawyer

Settlement help and legal representation are different things. If you have been served and the deadline is close, if you have grounds to dispute the debt entirely (wrong party, identity theft, an expired time limit, a debt discharged in bankruptcy), or if a judgment has already been entered and you want to challenge it, talk to a defense lawyer licensed in that state.

Sources

• Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., About page (founded 1997 in Minnesota, states served, affiliations, leadership)
• Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., History of the Firm (founded 1997 in Minneapolis by Todd Gurstel; consumer and commercial creditor's rights)
• Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., Commercial Debt Collection (business to business accounts and guarantors; litigation through judgment and post-judgment enforcement)
• Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., Contact page (office addresses, phone, California license 10361-99, NMLS ID 2249580, debt collector disclosure)
• Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., Resolve Your Debt (payment options and offers of resolution)
• Minnesota Secretary of State, business record for Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. (file 9G-255, filed July 9, 1996, name history)
• Better Business Bureau, Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. profile (A plus, accredited since 8/28/2020, 51 complaints in 3 years, 11 in 12 months)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Consumer Complaint Database, company: Gurstel Law Firm, P.C. (603 complaints, 2013 to 2026)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, enforcement actions search for Gurstel (no results)
• Micks v. Gurstel Law Firm, P.C., 365 F. Supp. 3d 961 (D. Minn. 2019), via CourtListener
• Demarais v. Gurstel Chargo, P.A., 869 F.3d 685 (8th Cir. 2017), via CourtListener
• Scheffler v. Gurstel Chargo, P.A., 902 F.3d 757 (8th Cir. 2018), via CourtListener
• Ness v. Gurstel Chargo, P.A., 933 F. Supp. 2d 1156 (D. Minn. 2013), via CourtListener
• CourtListener federal docket search, case name Gurstel (163 dockets; 15 filed since November 13, 2023)
• 15 U.S.C. 1692a, FDCPA definitions of consumer, debt and debt collector
• 15 U.S.C. 1692g, FDCPA validation of debts
• 15 U.S.C. 1692k, FDCPA civil liability (one year to sue)
• Minnesota Statutes section 332.31, collection agency definitions
• Minnesota Statutes section 332.32, exclusions (lawyers)
• Minnesota Statutes section 332.37, prohibited practices
• Minnesota Statutes section 548.101, assigned consumer debt default judgments
• Minnesota Statutes section 541.05, six year limit on contract actions
• Minnesota Statutes section 541.053, limitation of actions based on consumer debt
• Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 3.01, commencement of the action
• Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 12.01, time to answer
• Minnesota Attorney General, Answering a Lawsuit (21 days; a served lawsuit may not be filed yet)

Facts on this page were checked against the linked sources on November 13, 2026. Business Debt Adjusters is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or authorized to represent the company described.