Q&A: How to Resolve Your Debt Lawsuit (June 28, 2023)

George Simons | July 11, 2023

Edited by Hannah Locklear

The following is a transcript for one of our webinars. In it, SoloSuit's founder George Simons responds to live questions from consumers.

Disclaimer: this post is not legal advice. George is not a lawyer.

Transcript begins here

How to resolve a debt lawsuit

Alrighty, folks, looks like we are live. I'm George Simons, co-founder of SoloSuit. I'm going to walk you through our webinar today, just making sure audio and video are good to go here. If there's any problems, let me know in the chat. Otherwise I'll assume everyone can hear me.

Okay, so I am a founder of the company SoloSuit. We help people resolve debt. I'm just going to go over some of the basics on how to resolve your debt lawsuit. If you're here on this webinar, chances are high that you are being sued for a debt. Let's go ahead and dive into some of the basics.

So generally speaking, when you get sued for debt, you receive a Complaint and Summons. The Complaint tells you why you're being sued, the Summons tells you that you're being sued already. And then what happens next is you have a few days, up to 30 days, depending on the state that you're in, to respond to that lawsuit with your Answer document already. That's the general idea. SoloSuit especially helps you with filing the answer.

Once you file the Answer, you have a couple of options. If most of our people usually agree that they owe some portion of the debt to some degree, like maybe they remember having that credit card might have had like $1,000 on the balance instead of $5,000 that they're being sued for. But oftentimes people want to settle already and we also help out with that. We have our SoloSuit service that helps out with the Answer, and we have our SoloSettle service that helps out with settling.

And I want to emphasize today that we have a special service right now that we're calling SoloSettle Premium, probably for a limited time while we're trying it out, that you can sign up for where you file your Answer and then you want to settle. You can go and fill out the SoloSettle form on our website and then you can click the link to upgrade and we have a partnering law firm that can fully represent you in your case and also even get your lawsuit settled for you.

So if you're wondering, hey, what do I do after I file the Answer? Or hey, I filed an Answer a month ago and have like a request for Interrogatories or something, or request for admissions, then you can go over there and you can upgrade the SoloSettle Premium and then have a law firm wrap all that up for you. They'll show up at a hearing for you, they'll respond to those documents for you, they'll get that taken care of. So it's a real good option.

All right, we reserve most of the time in this webinar for questions. So if you have any questions, we got quite a few people here on the webinar, so get your questions into the chat. We have Hannah from team SoloSuit, also helping us out and responding by text in the chat. And then I'll also be responding to questions probably a little more in depth verbally on the video. All right, so whatever questions you have, those are really the basics. Whatever questions you have, go and put them in the chat, and then we will get to those.

And before I get into the first questions here, just want to make our disclaimer, make it real clear that I'm not an attorney. I'm not your attorney. The legal industry, the practice of law, is a heavily regulated thing. So to comply with regulations, I'm providing this disclaimer. I'm not an attorney. We're not your law firm. My advice does not substitute the advice of an attorney. And you should probably consider hiring an attorney for you. And there's no attorney-client relationship here. We're just providing a webinar. Okay. So with that said, I'm going to go ahead and jump into the questions.

Q&A Section begins here

When does the statute of limitations on credit card debt begin?

Viewer Question: I haven't been sued yet. Filed an Answer last week. My question is about the statute of limitations on credit card debt. Does the time start once you've gone delinquent on the account?

George: Okay. Yeah. Your specific question, when does the statute of limitations start counting down? Yes, generally speaking, it's the last time you made a payment on the account. So if you live in California and the statute of limitations on credit card debt is four years. And you made the last payment seven years ago, then the statute of limitations would start counting down for four years from that last payment, and it would have expired about a year ago, because now seven years later. So that's the general idea. Depends on the state. Lots of nuances can apply. That's the general idea here.

And then regarding your situation a little bit more generally, I guess you're saying you haven't been sued, but you filed an Answer. That seems a little bit weird to me. I don't know if you filed an Answer through SoloSuit. Usually people only file Answers after they've been sued. If you file an Answer before you've been sued, there's not really anything to file an Answer for. So that's a little interesting. I'm just going to play around with my audio visual stuff here real quick, if you guys don't mind. Maybe improve things a little bit. This is live stuff right here, the real deal. All right, so getting back to it, moving on to Krista Krista.

When is the best time to negotiate a debt settlement?

Viewer Question: If you filed a demand for a bill of particulars and they have not responded, should I attempt to call/negotiate? It's been eight days since proof of delivery.

George: Last thing we talked about was the statute of limitations. Sometimes we refer to that as SOL. Sometimes, ironically.

Here, bill of particulars is a little bit of a weird thing. I don't remember what state that's for. Let me just check on something real quick in that regard. Let's see. You have filed a demand for a bill of particulars. So I got something on the east coast. So a bill of particulars is a detailed written statement that a plaintiff or defendant might be required to submit in response to that party's request in the court. Casey, you might want to state what state you're in here. Seems like maybe it's like what is it, like Maryland or something?

Yeah, if they haven't responded. Basically a general idea here. So you filed a document in court, they haven't responded to that document. Should you attempt to call and negotiate? Generally speaking, yeah, probably. If it were me, that's what I would do. Assuming you want to settle. Right.

More broadly speaking, you're kind of asking, when should you settle? And yeah, usually after filing a document and they haven't responded to that document, it's usually a good time to attempt to settle because you have a little bit more leverage. They haven't done anything yet. It's going to cost them money to respond to the document you filed. They're not waiting to see if you're going to respond. You've already responded to something. Usually that's a good time to settle. Yeah. Just like this.

First you file the Answer, and then you usually settle because your leverage to settle will be higher once you file that Answer. All right, so that's the general idea.

What happens after I file an Answer to my debt lawsuit?

Viewer Question: I'm being sued by a debt collector. I submitted my Answer and I haven't heard anything about it yet. What's next?

George: Okay, so you're being sued and you filed an Answer you haven't heard back. Okay. So what most people do. If you think you owe the debt to some degree, usually settling is going to be the nicest way to wrap this up.

So you can make an offer to settle using our tool, SoloSettle. Go to solosuit.com/solosettle or just click the settle lawsuit button on our site.

If you don't owe the debt and you don't want to settle, then you can do something else. You can basically try to get the case dismissed. Okay. It's a little bit more risky, a little bit harder to pull off, but it certainly happens. Actually around 25% or more, probably more than that of our cases actually get dismissed just by filing an Answer. That's a big win.

Maybe your case can get dismissed, but the issue is you have to wait. You have to play things out. And the longer the trial goes on, basically, you might lose. Right. If you try to wait for dismissal. A thing that plays in here is that, let's see, let me see here… One of our tools that helps out with getting dismissed is a Motion to Compel Arbitration.

So if you're being sued for, like a debt, credit card debt, or any loan agreement as an arbitration clause, you can use our Motion to Compel Arbitration. That triggers the arbitration clause against the plaintiff and makes it harder for them to collect. So if you, like, don't owe the debt this is oftentimes a good choice. Or if you're aiming for a dismissal, it can make another impediment for the plaintiff to collect the debt and might make it more likely for them to dismiss the case. All right, moving on here.

How much is the SoloSuit premium service?

Viewer Question: How much is the premium service?

George: So SoloSettle Premium, we kind of use the word premium a bit. SoloSettle premium’s prices are subject to change, but currently kind of works out like 19% of the total amount of the debt. If I just click through the links on the site to get a little bit more in depth detail on that or message us at support@solosuit.com to get some more details on that already.

The Answer premium is currently $247. To respond to the lawsuit, you have an attorney review the document. We'll file it for you. Currently usually filed by USPS. Priority Mail, two to three days. Sometimes we'll e-file, depending on the state. They have a good e-filing system, and that's what we'll do for the premium Answer. A lot of people buy that one if they want the attorney review or if they want us to use the faster mailing service to get that filed.

What is the statute of limitations on debt in Florida?

Viewer Question: All right, what is the statute of limitations on debt in Florida?

George: All right, let's take a look. We've got a handy statute of limitations calculator on our site that we can pull up and we can find out what it is in Florida. Okay, so looking at Florida here, statute limitations calculator. It's on our blog. If you just search “statute of limitations” on Google and SoloSuit, this will probably pop up.

And you're asking about Florida. So I'm going to punch that in. I assume you're wondering about credit card debt, but the statute of limitations does usually change based on type of debt. And let's just say calculate. And it says the statute of limitations for credit card debt in Florida is five years. It'll calculate when the statute of limitations is set to expire. It’ll also give you the statute to help you out there. And, oftentimes, it's real helpful to actually go and click through and read the statute to make sure that it is talking about what you think it's talking about. Right?

So it says here, actions other than for recovery of real property shall be commenced as follows within 20 years if it's for a judgment, or within five years if it's any of these things, including a legal or equitable action on a contract, obligation or liability founded on a written instrument. All right, so this is any debt that is written? Not exactly credit card debt.

Usually credit card debt is based on a written contract. Pretty much always, I'd say. But the law specifically is saying the statute limitations is for five years for any debt that is based on or for any action for any lawsuit that's based on a written agreement. All right, so there you go. So good to dive in and discover reality, find out what the real meaning of the law is.

Use the calculator below to determine the statute of limitations on debt in your state:

Should I file my Answer while I wait for the demand for bill of particulars?

Viewer Question: Should I file my Answer while I wait for the demand for bill of particulars?

George: Bill of particulars is not very common. Yeah, I think if you haven't filed an Answer yet, then yeah, usually most states it's a good idea to file an Answer. There's a couple, ya know, a few situations that don't require an Answer. And yeah, if you're interested in settling, you could really check out the SoloSettle premium and then maybe have the law firm represent you and they could deal with all this stuff.

I don't remember bill of particulars off hand. I believe our blog mentions it. Hannah, I think if you could search for bill particulars on a blog, I think we have more to say about it on there somewhere.

What should I offer when I negotiate a debt settlement?

Viewer Question: How do you know what to offer in the negotiations?

George: Great, good question. So, there’s a lot of different ways to look at it. Okay. A lot of different ways to look at settling. How SoloSettle works is basically we just ask you the total amount of the lawsuit and then the user, the customer (should be you in this case) can just enter whatever number that you want to offer as a settlement.

We've looked at the Ackerman approach. Some of our videos talk about the Ackerman approach sometimes, which is promoted by negotiation professors. My law school negotiation professor promoted the Ackerman approach quite a bit. Also promoted by Never Split The Difference. I think Chris Voss is the author, who is an FBI hostage negotiator.

It's a format of positional bargaining, basically, where you just, like, set your target. Let's say you have the 100% of debt, so let's say the debt is $10,000. You want to settle for $5,000. Then you start low, and then you decrease each offer as you get closer to $5,000. So your first offer might be $3,000 and your next offer might be $4,000. And your next offer might be $4,500. Your next one might be $4,700. And then your final offer is $5,000. And you're kind of indicating to the other side that you are reaching your real limit by making incrementally smaller offers. That's one way to go.

For tips on negotiating a debt settlement, watch this video:

Honestly, I haven't seen that be as effective as I'd like in real life. So kind of what we talk about now as well is basically just like figure out how much you have available to pay as a lump-sum within like 30 days, probably maybe up to 90 days, and then figure out what you think the collector is going to accept and try to make that work out.

Like if you, if the debt is $10,000 and you have $10,000 available to pay within 30 days, some people do, most people don't. But if, let's say you do and you think the collector will accept $8,000, then just go ahead and make an $8,000 offer. But if you want to just make sure you get rid of the whole lawsuit, you can make a $10,000 offer and just be sure that they're going to accept it and be done with the lawsuit.

If you really don't want to pay the full amount, even though you have it because you don't like them or you don't feel like you owe the full amount or something like that, then you're going to start at $5,000 and go from there. We're just going to call this the Pragmatic approach, which is basically just like, you know, do whatever works, right? Do, do whatever you think is going to work for you.

Some other thoughts here... Something we've seen from the data is that most of our lawsuits, our customers’ lawsuits, have settled for 60% of the amount they're being sued for. So if you're being sued for $10,000, most lawsuits settle for about $6,000. And yeah, so some other bullet points here. Most of them settle for 60%.

And then the main indicator is that most lawsuits we've seen settle are within 20% of the range. That means that the person who starts makes the offer, their first offer is within 20% of whatever the lawyer's counter offer is. So if you think the lawyer is only going to settle for 80%, if you start off at 60%, then you're more likely to settle than if you started off at 20%. That's because these lawyers necessarily, oftentimes they don't exactly think they need to settle. They might think they have the upper hand here and they aren't going to want to go back and forth very much. L

Like usually if there's a settlement, there's maybe only up to two rounds probably. So like you make an offer, they make a counteroffer and then you make one more offer and then they're going to make one more counter offer. And that's probably after that they might get tired of negotiating and just be like, I'm just going to follow through the lawsuit.

So you shouldn't expect very many rounds of negotiation in this situation. All right, I'm going to move on here. This is supposed to wrap up at half past, but oftentimes we go to 45 minutes after the hour or thereabouts. But I'm going to try to go a little more rapid fire.

What is the statute of limitations on credit card debt in Louisiana?

Viewer Question: I'm in Louisiana, law states three years last activity on account. Last activity on account was in 2019.

George: So based on the statute of limitations calculator, if we go back over to that guy, then we will see Louisiana credit card. Let's say you made a payment in 2019, let's say it was March. Then we're going to calculate that bad boy. And it says statute of limitations has expired. It says three years. Yes. And make sure you review the law. And there you go.

Yep. So if the statute of limitations is expired, it's very important that you bring that up as an affirmative defense. All right? Nobody cares if the statute of limitations has expired. If you don't bring it up in your Answer, the judge isn't going to look into that and figure it out. The lawsuit will proceed, and you will lose unless you bring that up as an affirmative defense in your Answer document.

So you can just go on our site, you can click the button saying, like, when you last made a payment, and the software will produce the affirmative defense about statute of limitations for you, and then we can get that filed for you.

Use the statute of limitations as an affirmative defense in your debt lawsuit.

How do I respond to a debt lawsuit against Nelson & Kennard?

Viewer Question: I received the Summons by Nelson & Kennard representing Ford Motor. What are the next steps I should take?

George: So it sounds like you're being sued for an auto loan, maybe. Yeah. If you receive the summons, you probably have a complaint as well. You just want to go onto our site, file an Answer. If you agree, you owe part of the debt, you can try to settle using SoloSettle on our site. Or you can file an MCA. Right. So you answer, then you can settle. Or you can try to get the case dismissed.

When and how can I settle a debt?

Viewer Question: I submitted my answer. The court date is set for next month. When and how should I attempt to settle?

George: Usually for me, I would file an Answer. I complete the Answer process on our site, and immediately after, I go over, make an offer with SoloSettle. I'd probably sign up for SoloSettl Premium just because it is an amazing deal that we're able to get you there and get you arranged with a law firm that will fully represent you. That's what I'd do. They can even show up at the court for you. Right. They'll be your law firm. We'll just connect you with them and badabing. But they can get it settled. That's the general idea.

I wouldn't wait to settle. If you are settling on your own, oftentimes lawyers will settle in the courtroom. Right. So if you don't want to do any work before the trial, you can show up and hope that they settle there. But for me, I try to settle as soon as possible.

Watch the following video to learn more about when and how to settle a debt:

Can I claim to be judgment proof?

Viewer Question: I'm going to court on July 12. Is it possible to plead judgment proof? I am not working and I have no income at this time.

George: So judgment proof using the British preferred spelling of judgment here.

So, judgment proof usually isn't a thing, right. People oftentimes ask about it. Basically, I wouldn't consider someone judgment proof unless you plan on never owning any property or having any income ever again in your life. If you aren't making any money right now, let's say you show up in court you lose the lawsuit, they get a judgment against you.

Usually judgments are like, infinitely renewable or thereabouts in most states, and oftentimes they have a really long statute of limitations on when you can collect on the judgment anyways. So if they get a judgment, usually they'll be able to collect on it for, like, another ten years. So if you make any money at any point in time in the next ten years, they'll find out, they'll be like, sell that money, they'll be coming after it, and they'll start garnishing your wages, and they'll try to get that money again. And then even after the ten years expires, then they'll try to renew the judgment and renew it until the end. Right.

So, yeah, judgment proof isn't like a defense or a pleading. You just want to make sure you file an answer and then probably try to settle or get on some kind of payment plan or try to get the case dismissed. In some cases, creditors are mindful of their reputation. These big banks like to be perceived well by the public, so sometimes they actually do totally forgive a debt if there are serious medical conditions or something along those lines.

How can I check the status of my SoloSettle case?

Viewer Question: I did your premium SoloSettle service. Do you let me know a status or that you are working on my case?

George: Interesting. Yeah, we definitely do let you know about those things. I think probably the best option would be to email us at support@solosuit.com and we can check in on the status for you. Usually within a couple of days, you should have received something from the partnering law firm, and they'll be working on that for you. I do see your case, by the way, in our records, and so we're monitoring it. They're moving things along.

Usually one or two days, they'll have a paralegal assigned to the case, and then they'll send you, like, an onboarding package. So you might want to check your email. If you haven't signed some documents, like a power of attorney or an engagement letter to work with the law firm, you probably received it and you'll want to sign that, and then they'll keep you updated when there's a major event in the lawsuit and they're working towards settling that.

Yeah. Feel free to contact us at support@soulsuit.com, or if they reached out to you, you can reach out directly to the law firm that we partner with.

How do I fight a debt lawsuit against One Main Financial?

Viewer Question: I just got a summons from One Main Financial yesterday. I'm from Alabama and completely clueless to the process. What is the best way to fight the plaintiff’s claim?

George: I see. Sorry to hear it. Being sued is no fun. Main idea. Right. So you got a Summons, you just want to file an Answer. Then if you feel like you owe the debt, you can do the settlement, you can go to SoloSettle, or if you want to get the case dismissed, you can use our Motion to Compel Arbitration and try to get this thing dismissed. That's the main idea there.

How does SoloSettle work?

Viewer Question: I used SoloSuit to submit the response. Now they are asking the court to set a trial date. I'd like to know how much the limited time SoloSettle premium service is.

George: Yes, the best thing to do is just go onto our site, check it out. I'll just show you real quick how you get there, actually, on our website. All right, so we got the sweet GIF here. If you don't like the blog, just go to My Account. If you aren't logged in, this asks you to log in over here.

Once you're on my account, you go to documents and you'll see a bunch of things in progress. I have a lot of things in progress in my account here, but basically, if you already started SoloSettle, you'll want to continue one of them. If you haven't, then you'll just click create a new document, SoloSettle right here. And then you'll walk through the flow on the site.

You'll answer, like, a few questions, and then once you finalize the settlement, you'll click the submit button. And then once you get there, there'll be a link that you can click to work with the partnering law firm to get that debt settled. So that's the idea there.

How can I stop social security wage garnishment?

Viewer Question: If all I make is Social Security, am I protected in some way? Can your product help?

George: I think we have a blog post on this now: How to Stop Social Security Wage Garnishment.

I believe on the Social Security I never remember. Honestly, I never remember the answer to this question. I believe that Social Security is generally not something that can be garnished, but there's, like, a lot of nuances around the topic. A lot of nuances around the topic. Yeah.

So generally speaking, Social Security, I remember I looked into this for a customer at some point in time. Rather, a customer had a question. I perused the info on it. Generally speaking, Social Security benefits are protected from garnishment. However, there are exceptions to collect on unpaid taxes. Like, the government can garnish Social Security for federal student loan debt.

So if it's a student loan debt, especially government backed one, and they can collect if the debt for child support or alimony, then your SS benefits can be garnished, and for certain other types of government, debt can be garnished. However, supplemental security income usually is less garnishable. So those are some ideas there.

I believe I've seen more nuances even than that. I think if the money is just sitting in your bank account, some states might let them garnish your bank account, but I'm not super sure about that. Okay. All right, jumping ahead here…

What are the next steps after filing an Answer to a debt lawsuit?

Viewer Question: I have filed an answer using your service. You guys, you filed it. It's more than ten days now and I haven't heard back from the plaintiff with the court. What should I do next?

George: Tough question. We hear a lot on these webinars. All right, so you got the Answer filed. Good job, you did it. Nice work. We're rooting for you. Next. Basically you're going to determine, do you think you owe some of the debt? If you do, then settlement is going to be a good option. You can use SoloSettle premium. If you don't, then you can try aiming for dismissal, like respond to any documents to file in the case, make sure you show up at the hearings, et cetera.

Can you still be sued if the statute of limitations has expired?

Viewer Question: So if the statute of limitations has expired, can you still be sued?

George: Yes. This is an important thing. I usually think about this as saying the judge does not equal a referee. That's kind of how I think about it. The judge is kind of like an impartial arbiter. He's an impartial guy. It's not his job to defend you, it's not his job to defend the plaintiff. It's not even his job to necessarily make sure the plaintiff plays fair unless you bring up a complaint, right?

So in most situations, the plaintiff files a lawsuit against you. Statute of limitations has expired. Let's say it's like 20 years expired. Nobody's going to do anything about it unless you bring that up in an Answer document in the lawsuit saying, “Hey, I should win this lawsuit because statute limitations has expired.”

So they aren't supposed to sue you for it, but I guess they can sue you. I'm not sure that it would even be illegal for them to sue you, but you should bring it up as a defense in the lawsuit, and you should win your lawsuit if the statute of limitations has expired. And a lot of our customers do win based on that point.

SoloSuit can help you make the right defense the right way.

Can I settle my debt in monthly payments?

Viewer Question: Do you take payments for SoloSettle Premium?

George: Yeah, SoloSettle premium. So you're working directly with the law firm and yes, they can set you up on monthly payments, which is nice for settlement, right?

So again, you're being sued for $10,000 debt and you don't have a lump-sum available right now. You don't have like $5,000 available to make a lump-sum payment. Then they can negotiate four monthly payments.

Oftentimes monthly payments are going to be for the balance in full. So it might be like the full $10,000. It might be like the full $10,000 that you're paying in 36 months or something like that. So let's say how these settlements oftentimes work. Let's say you got $10,000 and they get you onto a 36 month or three year payment plan, and that would end up being so you got $10K in 36 months. That would be about $277 per month for three years. They can certainly sometimes get the balance reduced. So maybe you can get a settlement for $8,000 over 36 months instead of the whole $10,000. That's certainly something that they can negotiate for or maybe like $6,000, who knows?

And then important note here is that with a law firm, they're going to usually get you a settlement arrangement where there is no more interest. Not sure if that is oftentimes the case if you're negotiating on your own, but usually when you get a professional settlement here, they'll be able to negotiate to get you no interest, which is really nice. Right. Because usually the interest at this point is pretty insane. So that's a win. Okay, I have my summons.

How do I respond to each claim against me?

Viewer Question: I have my Summons, but the Complaint page does not have the legal numbers on the left side of the page. How would I complete the Answer on your site?

George: Okay, so you have the Complaint, but there are no numbers. So usually on a Complaint, it'll look something like this, not exactly like this. We'll usually say, like, Complaint, and it’'ll have the court name up here. It’ll have your name. It'll have the plaintiff. And then it'll be like a little paragraph right here, and it'll be like a numbered paragraph over here where they just, like, say stuff. They say stuff over here. So that's the numbers.

And then sometimes there's this archaic asinine thing that courts in California sometimes require, which is called pleading paper, where there will just be, like, random numbers on the left side of the paper because they want them for no reason. They don't do anything. They're supposed to match up with the lines that they don't. I'm not sure if you're referring to these numbers or to these numbers, but either way, oftentimes people upgrade to the Answer premium packages in this case because they want an attorney to review the document, make sure they responded appropriately.

If there aren't these numbers that's a little bit weird and unusual, you might not actually have a complaint. Sometimes you might be, like, in Texas. You might have a Petition in Texas. Texas is usually, like, a big square on a piece of paper, and there'll be, like, little boxes everywhere. That's, like, kind of what oftentimes a Texas Petition looks like. And then there'll be, like, little numbers in each box, and those are the numbers that you're kind of responding to anyhow. Yeah.

Good to have an attorney review in this case. The Answer usually does have a general denial for anything that wasn't expressly denied, so that is to cover your butt in this case. All right, skipping ahead here. We got to wrap up soon.

Discover is suing me and I’m on SSI. What should I do?

Viewer Question: Discover is suing me and I got SSDI and SSI. Discover is still taking me to court after I provided proof.

George: All right. I think Social Security Disability Income is SSDI and then SSI is Social Security Income. Right. It's the Supplemental Security Income. Interesting. Yeah. I'm not sure exactly what their plan is here.

They can still continue with the lawsuit. They won't be able to garnish that income, probably from Social Security, but they will be able to get a judgment against you and then garnish future wages if you have some. So you'll want to protect yourself here still.

Viewer Question: I've already answered the Summons for the lawsuit and have received interrogatories and a request for production.

George: So you've moved into the next stage of the lawsuit. So usually there are pleadings, which is the first stage, and then you have discovery is the second stage. And I just want to give a shout out to my former professor at BYU Law School, David Moore, who recently was appointed to become the dean of the Law School, which is exciting thing. Good news, good guy, very happy about it, but he's the guy who taught me all this stuff, so there we go.

Just a little comment on that. Yes, you got the pleadings, and you got discovery, and that's the stage that you're in. So that's like where you ask them for evidence, they ask you for evidence, kind of stuff. You can kind of go back and forth, basically. Main thing here is you just got to respond to those documents. You just got to find out. You just got to find a way to respond to them.

We don't have a document service around that. Mostly our people want to settle, so we have, like, a path towards settlement, and you can sign up for SoloSettle Premium, and then you can have a law firm represent you, and they can respond to those documents for you. And that's certainly an option there. But, yeah, general idea. You just want to make sure you respond to them, and then there will be, like, a hearing at some point in time you can show up to, and then you can make your case there.

SoloSuit is rooting for you

All right, that's a wrap, folks. That is time for this webinar to end. Cookie is saying, “Thank you. I can't afford a lawyer, so I'm doing this on my own.” Yep. Thank you. We made the site for people like yourself, right? She also said thank you to Hannah. She does a great job on running our blog and getting a lot of helpful resources out there on the site.

All right, if we didn't answer your question today, I invite you to check out our blog more in depth. You can also email us at support@solosuit.com. And we are rooting for you. I'll always remember that. We are rooting for you guys. We want you to win your lawsuit. Sincerely, we want you to get this debt resolved. All right? We're here to help. Thank you.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

How to answer a summons for debt collection in your state

Here's a list of guides for other states.

All 50 states.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Guides on how to beat every debt collector

Being sued by a different debt collector? Were making guides on how to beat each one.

• Absolute Resolutions Investments LLC
• Accredited Collection Services
• Alliance One
• Amcol Clmbia
• American Recovery Service
• Asset Acceptance LLC
• Asset Recovery Solutions
• Associated Credit Services
• Autovest LLC
• Cach LLC
• Cavalry SPV I LLC
• Cerastes LLC
• Colinfobur
• Covington Credit
• Crown Asset Management
• CTC Debt Collector
• Cypress Financial Recoveries
• Delanor Kemper & Associates
• Eagle Loan of Ohio
• Educap
• Estate Information Services
• FIA Card Services
• Forster & Garbus
• Freshview Solutions
• Fulton Friedman & Gullace LLP
• Harvest Credit Management
• Howard Lee Schiff
• Hudson & Keyse LLC
• Integras Capital Recovery LLC
• Javitch Block
• Jefferson Capital Systems LLC
• LVNV Funding
• Mannbracken
• Mariner Finance
• Medicredit
• Michael J Adams PC
• Michael J Scott
• Midland Funding LLC
• Mullooly, Jeffrey, Rooney & Flynn
• Mountain Land Collections
• MRS Associates
• National Collegiate Trust
• Nationstar Foreclosure
• Northstar Capital Acquisition
• NCEP LLC
• NRC Collection Agency
• OneMain Financial
• Palisades Collection LLC
• Pallida LLC
• Paragon Revenue Group
• Pinnacle Collections Agency
• PMAB LLC
• Portfolio Recovery Associates
• Provest Law
• PYOD LLC
• Reunion Student Loan Finance Corporation
• Revenue Group
• Regents and Associates
• RSIEH
• Salander Enterprises LLC
• Second Round Sub LLC
• Security Credit Services
• Sherman Financial Group
• Suttell and Hammer
• T-Mobile
• Transworld Systems
• Tulsa Teachers Credit Union
• UCB Collection
• Velo Law Office
• Velocity Investments
• Waypoint Resource Group
• Weinberg and Associates
• Wolpoff & Abramson

Win against credit card companies

Is your credit card company suing you? Learn how you can beat each one.

• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Chase
• Credit One Bank
• PayPal Synchrony Card
• SYNCB/PPEXTR
• Synchrony Bank
• Target National Bank
• Wells Fargo

Going to Court for Credit Card Debt — Key Tips

How to Negotiate Credit Card Debts

How to Settle a Credit Card Debt Lawsuit — Ultimate Guide

Get answers to these FAQs

Need more info on statutes of limitations? Read our 50-state guide.

Why do debt collectors block their phone numbers?

How long do debt collectors take to respond to debt validation letters?

What are the biggest debt collector companies in the US?

Is Zombie Debt Still a Problem in 2019?

SoloSuit FAQ

If a car is repossessed, do I still owe the debt?

Is Portfolio Recovery Associates Legit?

Is There a Judgment Against Me Without my Knowledge?

Should I File Bankruptcy Before or After a Judgment?

What is a default judgment?— What do I do?

Summoned to Court for Medical Bills — What Do I Do?

What Happens If Someone Sues You and You Have No Money?

What Happens If You Never Answer Debt Collectors?

What Happens When a Debt Is Sold to a Collection Agency

What is a Stipulated Judgment?

What is the Deadline for a Defendants Answer to Avoid a Default Judgment?

Can a Judgement Creditor Take my Car?

Can I Settle a Debt After Being Served?

Can I Stop Wage Garnishment?

Can You Appeal a Default Judgement?

Do I Need a Debt Collection Defense Attorney?

Do I Need a Payday Loans Lawyer?

Do student loans go away after 7 years? — Student Loan Debt Guide

Am I Responsible for My Spouses Medical Debt?

Should I Marry Someone With Debt?

Can a Debt Collector Leave a Voicemail?

How Does Debt Assignment Work?

What Happens If a Defendant Does Not Pay a Judgment?

How Does Debt Assignment Work?

Can You Serve Someone with a Collections Lawsuit at Their Work?

What Is a Warrant in Debt?

How Many Times Can a Judgment be Renewed in Oklahoma?

Can an Eviction Be Reversed?

Does Debt Consolidation Have Risks?

What Happens If You Avoid Getting Served Court Papers?

Does Student Debt Die With You?

Can Debt Collectors Call You at Work in Texas?

How Much Do You Have to Be in Debt to File for Chapter 7?

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Debt in Washington?

How Long Does a Judgment Last?

Can Private Disability Payments Be Garnished?

Can Debt Collectors Call From Local Numbers?

Does the Fair Credit Reporting Act Work in Florida?

The Truth: Should You Never Pay a Debt Collection Agency?

Should You Communicate with a Debt Collector in Writing or by Telephone?

Do I Need a Debt Negotiator?

What Happens After a Motion for Default Is Filed?

Can a Process Server Leave a Summons Taped to My Door?

Learn More With These Additional Resources:

Need help managing your finances? Check out these resources.

How to Make a Debt Validation Letter - The Ultimate Guide

How to Make a Motion to Compel Arbitration Without an Attorney

How to Stop Wage Garnishment — Everything You Need to Know

How to File an FDCPA Complaint Against Your Debt Collector (Ultimate Guide)

Defending Yourself in Court Against a Debt Collector

Tips on you can to file an FDCPA lawsuit against a debt collection agency

Advice on how to answer a summons for debt collection.

Effective strategies for how to get back on track after a debt lawsuit

New Hampshire Statute of Limitations on Debt

Sample Cease and Desist Letter Against Debt Collectors

The Ultimate Guide to Responding to a Debt Collection Lawsuit in Utah

West Virginia Statute of Limitations on Debt

What debt collectors cannot do — FDCPA explained

Defending Yourself in Court Against Debt Collector

How to Liquidate Debt

Arkansas Statute of Limitations on Debt

Youre Drowning in Debt — Heres How to Swim

Help! Im Being Sued by My Debt Collector

How to Make a Motion to Vacate Judgment

How to Answer Summons for Debt Collection in Vermont

North Dakota Statute of Limitations on Debt

ClearPoint Debt Management Review

Indiana Statute of Limitations on Debt

Oregon Eviction Laws - What They Say

CuraDebt Debt Settlement Review

How to Write a Re-Aging Debt Letter

How to Appear in Court by Phone

How to Use the Doctrine of Unclean Hands

Debt Consolidation in Eugene, Oregon

Summoned to Court for Medical Bills? What to Do Next

How to Make a Debt Settlement Agreement

Received a 3-Day Eviction Notice? Heres What to Do

How to Answer a Lawsuit for Debt Collection

Tips for Leaving the Country With Unpaid Credit Card Debt

Kansas Statute of Limitations on Debt Collection

How to File in Small Claims Court in Iowa

How to File a Civil Answer in Kings County Supreme Court

Roseland Associates Debt Consolidation Review

How to Stop a Garnishment

Debt Eraser Review

Do Debt Collectors Ever Give Up?

Can They Garnish Your Wages for Credit Card Debt?

How Often Do Credit Card Companies Sue for Non-Payment?

How Long Does a Judgement Last?

​​How Long Before a Creditor Can Garnish Wages?

How to Beat a Bill Collector in Court