David Ramp was dogged consumer-rights attorney

David Ramp was a friend of low-income consumers and as an attorney dedicated his career to looking out for their rights.

His landmark case was winning a class-action lawsuit on behalf of about 14,000 poor and minority Minnesotans who had bought furniture through rent-to-own programs and were paying exorbitant amounts of money over time. The courts agreed that the rent that consumers were paying was usury and rendered a $30 million judgment.

"He was relentless and ended up knowing more about that industry than those in the industry," said Jerry Lane, executive director of Legal Aid of Minneapolis, where Ramp spent much of his career. "He was one of most creative and hardest-working people I've ever worked with."

Ramp, 59, died of metastasized carcinoid cancer May 7 at North Memorial Residential Hospice in Brooklyn Center.

As a result of his work on the rent-to-own litigation in Minnesota, Ramp was asked to speak on the subject and testify at legislative hearings all over the country, said his wife of 23 years, Linda (Toni) Silver, of Minneapolis.

His tireless efforts to protect and advocate on behalf of low-income people was recognized by National Consumer Law Center in Boston, which presented him with the Vern Countryman Award in 1997.

"He was one of the nation's best consumer lawyers," said the center's executive director, Will Ogburn. "He took on challenging the rent-to-own industry in highly creative ways, and that affected litigation around the country."

In 1999, he received the Hennepin County Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Public Sector Award. Ramp also served on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve System's Consumer Advisory Council from 1998 to 2000.

Ramp was born in Minneapolis but grew up in Cleveland. He graduated from Kent State University in Ohio and earned a law degree from the University of Akron College of Law in 1976.

He began his career by opening a Legal Aid office in Little Falls, Minn. Over his career, he provided legal advice and services to low-income residents in St. Cloud, Duluth and north Minneapolis, working on cases ranging from bankruptcy to landlord-tenant issues to Social Security claims.

In 1999, he was hired by-then-Attorney General Mike Hatch to represent the citizens of Minnesota in cases involving of consumers' rights. Ramp ended his career by working in the state's Office of Administrative Hearings.

Ramp was a voracious reader who enjoyed delving into history and science, and was a Civil War expert, his wife said.

In addition to his wife, Ramp is survived by his parents, Marjorie and Floyd Ramp of Oberlin, Ohio; a son, Ian Silver-Ramp of Minneapolis; stepson Noah Silver of Seattle; two sisters, Sandy Smith of Boise, Idaho, and Cheryl Ramp of Arlington, Va.; a brother, Paul Ramp of Knoxville, Tenn., two grandchildren, and his first wife, Beth Bartlett of Duluth.