how to respond to a credit card summon

Submitted by anniefrasier on Tue, 02/15/2011 - 15:04
Forums

I need to know how to respond to a credit card summons without having the courts making a judgement on me or my property.

Answering a court Summons is extremely important. Once a Summons has been received it should never be ignored, no matter how daunting the task of dealing with the credit card lawsuit may be. If one is being sued by junk debt buyer or collection agency, then the consumer has a great chance of beating the “Creditor” because they could be bluffing and not even have the proper defense for the case. There’s no need to panic when receiving a Summons from a credit card company either.

Many do not have the financial means for an attorney to fight their debt case for them. Oftentimes consumers want legal counsel when faced with a debt lawsuit, but many people have been able to successfully handle their credit card case on their own. Seeking out legal support and advice like from this website is always helpful because the more one knows the better they are able to properly respond and have a greater chance of winning.

The party that has received the Summons, also known as the defendant, is required to respond within a certain time period. Responding within the allotted amount of time is of utmost importance. Defendants dealing with credit card debt suits shouldn’t waste time calling the credit card company or the debt collection agency. Calls may already be flooding in from the debt collectors so it’s important not to admit to certain things or keep going back and forth with them. Just simply deal with the Summons and learn how to appropriately respond with the necessary information and become knowledgeable as to whether the lawsuit is even legitimate and the account exists. Once one has received the Summons and Complaint the case is now in the legal system and should be responded to accordingly. Consumers are typically given 20 – 30 days, and if a response hasn’t been issued within the given time frame a default judgment could be ruled. This would result in a freezing of the Defendant’s assets and wages being garnished.

The Summons package received should include a “Complaint” document, which lists the allegations being made by the creditor or plaintiff against the defendant. Each individual allegation must be answered with an “agree”, “disagree” or “partially agree”. The responses could also use similar words such as “affirm”, “deny” or “lack of knowledge to fully answer”. When the defendant gives the response that they are denying or disagreeing with an allegation, he or she must write a brief statement explaining why. A form may also be included with the Summons packet where the Defendant can provide this explanation. Another option is to type out the answers on a blank piece of paper. None of the documents used for responses or any legal correspondence should be handwritten. Always type out answers, letters or anything else legal. Samples of the correct template or forms are provided in The Defendant’s Package. Be sure to imitate the format of the Complaint including the Defendant’s name, address, telephone number, the docket number and the title of the case.

Another important thing for consumers to remember when answering a Summons is to send a copy of any documents to the plaintiff and always keep a copy of each document as personal reference. The answer should be filed by sending a copy to the court as well as the plaintiff’s lawyers or the opposing party. Also consider using registered mail to ensure that no documents are lost. Having the answer to the courthouse clerk personally delivered might be another option, but one must read the instructions in the Summons to make sure. Any legal adviser or attorney will tell a client how important it is to get this answer in within the allotted time frame, so I cannot stress this enough.

Once court day has arrived the defendant should make sure to arrive early or on time. It is not acceptable to not show up so set reminders or ask for time from work. One should do whatever necessary to appear in court on the day assigned as failure to do so will result in default judgment.

In most cases the opposing attorneys will assume that the consumer does not have any knowledge of the legal system. This is why they go after so many customers for debt lawsuits. They will try to confuse the defendant and set him or her up to fail and make mistakes costing them their case. The best way for a defendant to prevent this and prepare for a credit card lawsuit is to understand what the opposition is going to ask and the best way to answer the questions. Consumers should ask the opposing party to provide proof that money was loaned to them or a valid contact that is date and signed.

Before representing yourself in court against a creditor consumers should educate themselves and read up on everything they need to know. It would be wise to consider browsing around this site and even getting The Defendant’s Package for even more assistance in fighting your junk debt buyer case. The examples and personal stories provided will give a great amount of help in walking one through each step of the litigation phase and increase one’s understanding of the best ways to answer a court Summons and win a credit card lawsuit.

Thu, 07/31/2014 - 07:04 Permalink