CJ-2026-00032 - Midland Credit Management, Inc. v. Kellie J Benefield

What's This Case About?

Let’s get one thing straight: Kellie J. Benefield didn’t rob a bank, she didn’t scam a charity, and she definitely didn’t run off with someone else’s husband. No, her crime — according to the court filing — was failing to pay off two credit cards. And now? She’s being sued for $4,604.30. That’s it. Four thousand, six hundred and four dollars and thirty cents. Not millions. Not thousands of victims. Just one woman, two maxed-out credit cards, and a debt collector armed with a notary public in Minnesota and a law firm in Oklahoma ready to take her to court over it. Welcome to the wild, wild world of civil litigation, where the stakes are low, the drama is high, and the paperwork is very serious.

So who is Kellie J. Benefield? Honestly, we don’t know much. She lives in Beckham County, Oklahoma — home of Sayre, Route 66, and apparently, the frontline of the war on unpaid credit card balances. She’s not a celebrity. She’s not a politician. She’s just… a person. A person who, at some point in 2021, decided, “You know what I need? A Capital One Platinum Mastercard.” And then, a few months later, apparently thought, “And while we’re at it — let’s open a Citibank TSCR Store card too.” (For the uninitiated, TSCR likely stands for “Target Corporation,” meaning yes — this could’ve been the card she used to buy socks, frozen waffles, or that inexplicable inflatable dinosaur for her kid’s birthday party. We’re all rooting for you, Kellie.)

The Capital One account was opened on May 17, 2021. Things were probably fine at first. Maybe she paid on time. Maybe she even paid in full. But by December 9, 2022, the last payment was made. After that? Radio silence. The account was officially “charged off” — banking code for “we’ve given up on getting paid” — on July 17, 2023. The balance? $3,946.66. Meanwhile, the Citibank card, opened in December 2021, had a longer run. The last payment was posted on March 20, 2024 — meaning Kellie was still trying, at least a little, almost a year after the other card went dark. But then, nothing. That account was charged off on November 14, 2024. Balance owed? $657.64. Combine the two, and you get the grand total of $4,604.30 — the sum that has now prompted a full-blown legal operation involving affidavits, notaries, and a team of seven attorneys at Love, Beal & Nixon, P.C. Yes, seven. Seven lawyers. For a $4,600 debt.

Now, here’s where it gets corporate. Neither Capital One nor Citibank is the one suing Kellie. Nope. Enter Midland Credit Management, Inc. — the debt collector. These are the folks who buy up delinquent accounts for pennies on the dollar, then try to collect the full amount (plus interest, fees, and legal costs, if they can swing it). Think of them as the vultures of the financial world — not the ones who caused the injury, but the ones who show up after the fact, circling the carcass of someone’s credit score. Midland didn’t issue the cards. They didn’t approve the credit. They weren’t there when Kellie bought whatever it was that put her over the limit. But now, they own the debt. Capital One sold it to them on October 29, 2024. Citibank handed it over on December 27, 2024. And now, Midland wants its money. Or rather, they want the court to order Kellie to pay it — with interest, court costs, and whatever else the judge feels like throwing in.

The legal claim? It’s called “indebtedness.” Fancy term for “you owe us money, and we have proof.” The proof, in this case, comes in the form of two affidavits from one RaeJeanna Rivera — Legal Specialist at Midland, based in St. Cloud, Minnesota. She’s never met Kellie. She’s never seen her credit application. But she has access to the records — the digital trail of transactions, payments, and defaults — and she swears, under penalty of perjury, that the numbers are correct. The affidavits are dry, repetitive, and oddly dramatic — full of phrases like “I certify under penalty of perjury” and “if called to testify, I could and would competently testify.” It’s like a courtroom thriller, except the only thing being dramatized is a spreadsheet.

So what does Midland want? $4,604.30. Plus interest at the statutory rate (which in Oklahoma is 5% per year unless the original contract says otherwise). Plus court costs. Plus “such other relief as the Court may deem just and proper” — legal speak for “throw in whatever else feels fair.” Is $4,600 a lot? Well, it depends. For a big bank, it’s nothing — a rounding error. For a debt collector, it’s a portfolio item — one of thousands. But for an individual in rural Oklahoma? That’s real money. That’s a car repair. A month’s rent. Half a year of groceries. And yet, here we are — not negotiating, not setting up a payment plan, but filing a lawsuit. Over less than five grand.

And let’s talk about the timing. The petition was filed on December 5, 2025. The affidavits are dated December 23, 2025. Wait — that’s after the filing date. Either someone’s playing fast and loose with the calendar, or — more likely — the court accepts filings with the understanding that supporting documents will follow. Still, it’s a little on-the-nose, like turning in your term paper on Monday and saying, “The research is coming, I swear.” But hey, it’s all legal. Just… barely.

Now, our take? Look, we’re not here to defend or condemn Kellie Benefield. Maybe she went through a rough patch. Lost a job. Got sick. Had a kid. Maybe she just spent too much at Target. We don’t know. And honestly? Midland Credit Management doesn’t care. To them, she’s not a person — she’s an account number. A balance. A line item in a portfolio. And that’s the most absurd part of this whole thing: the sheer scale mismatch. Seven lawyers. A notary in Minnesota. Affidavits with dramatic oaths. All over a debt so small it wouldn’t even cover the legal fees if this went to trial. This isn’t justice. This is debt collection as performance art.

We’re rooting for Kellie — not because she didn’t spend money she couldn’t pay back, but because the system is rigged to humiliate people over small sums while the real financial predators walk free. If Midland wins, they’ll get their $4,600 — maybe. But they’ll also add another name to their list, another notch in their belt, another soul ground down by the machine. And that? That’s not justice. That’s just paperwork with a side of cruelty.

We’re entertainers, not lawyers. But even we know this: when the cost of collecting a debt exceeds the dignity of the process, something’s gone very, very wrong.

Case Overview

$4,604 Demand Petition

Jurisdiction

District Court of Beckham County, Oklahoma

Filing Attorney

Gracelyn Dillingham

LOVE, BEAL & NIXON, P.C.

Relief Sought

$4,604 Monetary

Plaintiffs

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

Defendants

Kellie J Benefield individual

Claims

#	Cause of Action	Description
1
2

Petition Text

1,201 words

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF BECKHAM COUNTY STATE OF OKLAHOMA Midland Credit Management, Inc. Plaintiff, vs. Kellie J Benefield, 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. CAPITAL ONE, N.A., provided credit to the defendant on account number XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX4637. Defendant defaulted on the obligation. The account has been assigned to Plaintiff. 2. Defendant owes Plaintiff $3,946.66. 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 XXXXXXXXXXXXXX3240. Defendant defaulted on the obligation. The account has been assigned to Plaintiff. 2. Defendant owes Plaintiff $657.64. An Affidavit of Account is attached hereto and incorporated by reference. WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays for Judgment against the Defendant in the sum of $4,604.30, with interest at the statutory rate, all court costs, and for such other relief as the Court may deem just and proper. Gracelyn Dillingham William L. Nixon, Jr., #012804 Harley L. Homjak, #019736 Gracelyn Porras Dillingham, #35852 Jenifer A. Gani, #021876 Daniela Westfahl, #36242 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- Benefield, Kellie J, Defendant(s). AFFIDAVIT OF RAEJEANNA RIVERA RaeJeanna Rivera, 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 CAPITAL ONE, N.A./PLATINUM MASTERCARD account xxxxxxxxxxxxx4637 (MCM Number 329805762) (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 $3,946.66 as of 2025-12-05. 5. On or about 2024-10-29, Midland Credit Management, Inc became the successor in interest to this Account. 6. MCM's records show that: 1) the Account was opened on 2021-05-17; 2) the last payment posted to the Account on 2022-12-09; and 3) the Account was charged off on 2023-07-17. 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. DEC 2 3 2025 Date STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF STEARNS Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on DEC 2 3 2025 by RaeJeanna Rivera. Julie A Kimmes Notary Public - Minnesota My Commission Expires 01/31/2030 Notary Public OK038 STATE OF OKLAHOMA Midland Credit Management, Inc, Plaintiff -vs- Benefield, Kellie J, Defendant(s). AFFIDAVIT OF RAEJEANNA RIVERA RaeJeanna Rivera, 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./TSCR STORE account xxxxxxxxxxxxxx3240 (MCM Number 330908521) (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 $657.64 as of 2025-12-05. 5. On or about 2024-12-27, Midland Credit Management, Inc became the successor in interest to this Account. 6. MCM's records show that: 1) the Account was opened on 2021-12-10; 2) the last payment posted to the Account on 2024-03-20; and 3) the Account was charged off on 2024-11-14. 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. Date DEC 2 3 2025 STATE OF MINNESOTA COUNTY OF STEARNS RaeJeanna Rivera Signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on DEC 2 3 2025 by RaeJeanna Rivera. Julie A Kimmes Notary Public - Minnesota My Commission Expires 01/31/2030 Notary Public OK038