Before you start
Be prepared for the time and effort of a lawsuit
To defend yourself, you'll need to learn about the law and follow court rules, even if you're not a lawyer. There are freelegal resourcesto help.
A lawsuit is a drawn-out process (it may last as much as a year)that is fought primarily on paper, and only goes to courtat theend. If yourespond, but then ignore your next steps, you may lose your case and end up owing even more money.
Expect to get legal documents in the mail. Once you file your Answer, watch for documents in the mail from the court and the other side (Plaintiff). If you ignore these or miss a deadline, you can lose your case. If you move, let the court and Plaintiff know your new address.
There is a deadline to file your Answer form
You must fill out an Answer, serve the other side's attorney, and file your Answer form with the courtwithin 30 days.
Ifyou don’t,the creditorcan ask for adefault. If there's a default, the court won't let you fileanAnswerand can decide the case without you.
If you received the Complaint more than 30 days ago, check with the court to find out the Plaintiff got a default.If there isn’t a default, you can still file anAnswer.
