CS-2026-25 - Midland Credit Management, Inc. v. Jason Grauberger

What's This Case About?

Let’s get one thing straight: Jason Grauberger didn’t get sued because he borrowed $7,857.05 and then vanished into the wind like a debt-dodging ninja. No. He got sued because two credit card companies—Synchrony Bank and Citibank—got tired of waiting, sold his debt to a third-party collector for pennies on the dollar, and now that collector is suing him for every last cent, plus interest, like some financial game of hot potato where the loser ends up in Canadian County court. Yes, Canadian County. Not Canada. Just a very confusingly named jurisdiction in Oklahoma where, apparently, credit card debt goes to die—or at least to get litigated.

So who is Jason Grauberger? Honestly, we don’t know much. He’s not a celebrity. He’s not a politician. He’s not even someone who left a dramatic Yelp review before falling into financial obscurity. He’s just… a guy. A guy who, at some point, opened two credit cards: one with Synchrony Bank (possibly linked to a retail store, because that’s what Synchrony does—funding your “Buy Now, Pay Never” lifestyle at places like Amazon or Lowe’s), and another with Citibank tied to My Best Buy, which sounds like a dating profile but is actually the rewards program for that beige electronics store where you bought a microwave in 2012 and still feel weirdly loyal to. Somewhere along the way, Jason stopped making payments. The accounts went dark. The balances grew. And then—poof—his debt was no longer his problem with the original lenders. It was someone else’s opportunity.

Enter Midland Credit Management, Inc.—the plaintiff in this case and the real star of the show. Midland isn’t a bank. It’s not even a store. It’s a debt buyer. These folks don’t issue credit; they buy up defaulted accounts from banks and lenders for a fraction of their face value, then try to collect the full amount like financial vultures with law degrees (or at least lawyers on retainer). In this case, Midland scooped up Jason’s Synchrony debt in July 2024 and his Citibank/Best Buy debt in December 2024. They didn’t ask Jason how he was doing. They didn’t send a friendly “We’re here to help!” letter. They waited, calculated, gathered affidavits, and then—on October 21, 2025—filed a lawsuit demanding $7,857.05. That’s $5,177.93 from the Synchrony account and $2,679.12 from the Best Buy one. For context, that’s enough to buy a used car, pay six months of rent in rural Oklahoma, or fund a very ambitious Black Friday shopping spree at—ironically—the very store whose card Jason defaulted on.

Now, let’s talk about how we got here. According to the filing, Jason opened the Best Buy card back in August 2020—right in the middle of the pandemic, when everyone was stress-buying air fryers and standing desks. The last payment he made on that account was March 8, 2024. Almost eight months before the lawsuit. The account was “charged off” in October 2024, which is corporate-speak for “we’ve given up and sold your debt to a collection agency.” The Synchrony account? Opened in July 2023—so relatively new—and charged off just ten months later in May 2024. That’s a short, sad lifecycle for a credit card. Less than a year from approval to abandonment. It’s like a Netflix romance movie: intense at first, then over before you even realize what happened.

Midland’s legal argument is straightforward: they own the debt, the debt is unpaid, and therefore, they want the court to issue a judgment forcing Jason to pay. The claims? Two counts of “petition for indebtedness”—which sounds fancy but really just means “you owe us money, and we have paperwork to prove it.” The evidence? Two nearly identical affidavits from Wyatt Fenlason, a “Legal Specialist” at Midland based in St. Cloud, Minnesota, who swears under penalty of perjury that yes, the records show Jason owes this money, and yes, Midland legally bought the right to collect it. There’s no mention of late fees, no wild interest rates, no accusations of fraud or identity theft. Just cold, hard numbers pulled from digital ledgers and signed off by a man whose job title sounds like it was invented by a robot.

So what does Midland want? $7,857.05. Is that a lot? Well, it depends. For a debt collection firm, it’s a rounding error. They probably paid less than $2,000 for both accounts combined. But for an individual in Canadian County, Oklahoma—where the median household income is around $60,000—it’s over an eighth of a year’s take-home pay. It’s not bankruptcy-level money, but it’s not nothing. It’s the kind of sum that could cover a car repair, a security deposit on a new apartment, or a down payment on a slightly less terrible credit score. And if the court grants the judgment—which is likely, since Jason hasn’t filed a response (yet?)—Midland could then garnish wages, freeze bank accounts, or just keep calling until Jason sells his couch.

Here’s the absurd part: this case is incredibly normal. There’s no drama. No betrayal. No wild spending spree on tropical vacations or designer handbags. Just two credit cards, two defaults, and a corporate handoff that ended in a lawsuit filed by a Minnesota-based employee of a debt buyer suing an Oklahoma man who probably forgot he even had these accounts. This isn’t Wolf of Wall Street. This is Debt of Suburbia. And yet, it’s a perfect snapshot of how the American credit system really works: you borrow, you fall behind, your debt gets packaged and sold like frozen peas, and suddenly, you’re being sued by a company you’ve never heard of, represented by a law firm you didn’t hire, over money you technically owe but haven’t touched in years.

Are we rooting for Jason? Honestly, kind of. Not because he deserves to dodge his debts, but because the whole system feels like a shell game. He borrowed, sure. But the original lenders already wrote this off. They took their tax deductions, moved on, and cashed a check from Midland. Now Midland wants the full amount—plus court costs—like they’re doing society a favor by chasing down a few thousand bucks from a guy whose biggest crime might just be forgetting to close an old credit card. If Jason shows up in court with a payment plan, a sob story, or even just a decent lawyer, this could get interesting. But if he doesn’t? Then this case will end exactly how most of them do: with a default judgment, a ding on his credit, and another data point in the great American debt machine.

We’re entertainers, not lawyers. But even we know this much: nobody wins when the only victory is collecting $7,857 from someone who clearly couldn’t pay in the first place.

Case Overview

$7,857 Demand Petition

Jurisdiction

District Court of Canadian County, Oklahoma

Relief Sought

$7,857 Monetary

Plaintiffs

Midland Credit Management, Inc. business
Rep: LOVE, BEAL & NIXON, P.C.

Defendants

Jason Grauberger individual

Claims

#	Cause of Action	Description
1	petition for indebtedness
2	petition for indebtedness

Petition Text

1,172 words

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF CANADIAN COUNTY STATE OF OKLAHOMA Midland Credit Management, Inc. Plaintiff, vs. Jason Grauberger, Defendant. PETITION FOR INDEBTEDNESS COMES NOW Plaintiff, by and through its undersigned attorneys who hereby enter their appearance herein, and for cause of action against Defendant alleges and states: COUNT I 1. SYNCHRONY BANK, provided credit to the defendant on account number XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX1175. Defendant defaulted on the obligation. The account has been assigned to Plaintiff. 2. Defendant owes Plaintiff $5,177.93. An Affidavit of Account is attached hereto and incorporated by reference. COUNT 2 1. CITIBANK, N.A., provided credit to the defendant on account number XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX0569. Defendant defaulted on the obligation. The account has been assigned to Plaintiff. 2. Defendant owes Plaintiff $2,679.12. An Affidavit of Account is attached hereto and incorporated by reference. WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays for Judgment against the Defendant in the sum of $7,857.05, with interest at the statutory rate, all court costs, and for such other relief as the Court may deem just and proper. William L. Nixon, Jr., #012804 Harley L. Homjak, #019736 Peggy S. Horinek, #010344 Jenifer A. Gani, #021876 Alexander M. Hall, #33900 Mariah S. Ellicott, #36309 Benjamin F. Brackett, #36580 LOVE, BEAL & NIXON, P.C. Attorney for Plaintiff P.O. Box 32738 Oklahoma City, OK 73123 Telephone: 405-720-0565 E-Mail: [email protected] STATE OF OKLAHOMA Midland Credit Management, Inc, Plaintiff -vs- AFFIDAVIT OF WYATT FENLASON Grauberger, Jason, Defendant(s). Wyatt Fenlason, whose business address is 600 W. Saint Germain St Suite 200, St. Cloud, MN 56301-3616, certifies and says: 1. I am employed as a Legal Specialist and have access to pertinent account records for Midland Credit Management, Inc. ("Plaintiff" or "MCM"). I am a competent person over eighteen years of age, and make the statements herein based upon personal knowledge of those account records maintained by Plaintiff. Plaintiff is the current owner of, and was assigned all the rights, title and interest to Defendant's SYNCHRONY BANK/NETWORKS account xxxxxxxxxxxxxx1175 (MCM Number 328089808) (hereinafter "the Account"). 2. I have access to and have reviewed the electronic records pertaining to the Account maintained by MCM and am authorized to make this affidavit on MCM's behalf. The electronic records reviewed consist of (i) data and records acquired from the seller or assignor when MCM purchased or was assigned the Account, which were incorporated into MCM's business records upon purchase or assignment, and (ii) data and records generated by MCM in connection with servicing the Account since the date the Account was purchased by or was assigned to MCM. 3. I am familiar with and trained on the manner and method by which MCM creates and maintains its business records pertaining to the Account, which consist of (i) data and documents acquired from the seller or assignor, and (ii) subsequent collection and/or servicing activities by MCM. The records are acquired or created, and are kept in the regular course of MCM's business. It was in the regular course of MCM's business for a person with knowledge of the subsequent collection and/or servicing activities recorded, and a business duty to report, to make the record or data compilation, or to transmit information thereof to be included in such record, or for such information to be posted in MCM's records by a computer or similar digital means. In the regular course of MCM's business, the record or compilation of the subsequent collection activities is made at or near the time of the act or event by MCM as a regular practice. 4. MCM's records show that Defendant(s) owed a balance of $5,177.93 as of 2025-10-03. 5. On or about 2024-07-19, Midland Credit Management, Inc became the successor in interest to this Account. 6. MCM's records show that the Account was opened on 2023-07-04 and the Account was charged off on 2024-05-20. 7. If called to testify as a witness thereon, I could and would competently testify as to all the facts stated herein. Left Blank Intentionally I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing statements are true and correct. OCT 21 2025 Date STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF STEARNS Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on OCT 21 2025 by Wyatt Fenlason. Notary Public OK038 STATE OF OKLAHOMA Midland Credit Management, Inc, Plaintiff -vs- Grauberger, Jason, Defendant(s). AFFIDAVIT OF WYATT FENLASON Wyatt Fenlason, whose business address is 600 W. Saint Germain St Suite 200, St. Cloud, MN 56301-3616, certifies and says: 1. I am employed as a Legal Specialist and have access to pertinent account records for Midland Credit Management, Inc. ("Plaintiff" or "MCM"). I am a competent person over eighteen years of age, and make the statements herein based upon personal knowledge of those account records maintained by Plaintiff. Plaintiff is the current owner of, and was assigned all the rights, title and interest to Defendant's CITIBANK, N.A./MY BEST BUY account XXXXXXXXXXXX0569 (MCM Number 330968472) (hereinafter "the Account"). 2. I have access to and have reviewed the electronic records pertaining to the Account maintained by MCM and am authorized to make this affidavit on MCM's behalf. The electronic records reviewed consist of (i) data and records acquired from the seller or assignor when MCM purchased or was assigned the Account, which were incorporated into MCM's business records upon purchase or assignment, and (ii) data and records generated by MCM in connection with servicing the Account since the date the Account was purchased by or was assigned to MCM. 3. I am familiar with and trained on the manner and method by which MCM creates and maintains its business records pertaining to the Account, which consist of (i) data and documents acquired from the seller or assignor, and (ii) subsequent collection and/or servicing activities by MCM. The records are acquired or created, and are kept in the regular course of MCM's business. It was in the regular course of MCM's business for a person with knowledge of the subsequent collection and/or servicing activities recorded, and a business duty to report, to make the record or data compilation, or to transmit information thereof to be included in such record, or for such information to be posted in MCM's records by a computer or similar digital means. In the regular course of MCM's business, the record or compilation of the subsequent collection activities is made at or near the time of the act or event by MCM as a regular practice. 4. MCM's records show that Defendant(s) owed a balance of $2,679.12 as of 2025-10-03. 5. On or about 2024-12-30, Midland Credit Management, Inc became the successor in interest to this Account. 6. MCM's records show that: 1) the Account was opened on 2020-08-15; 2) the last payment posted to the Account on 2024-03-08; and 3) the Account was charged off on 2024-10-15. 7. If called to testify as a witness thereon, I could and would competently testify as to all the facts stated herein. Left Blank Intentionally I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing statements are true and correct. OCT 2 1 2025 Date Wyatt Fenlason STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF STEARNS Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on OCT 2 1 2025 by Wyatt Fenlason. Notary Public Christy Lynn Baez Notary Public Minnesota By Commission Expiration 06/23 OK038