Sued by a debt collector? You have 30 days, and they're counting on you doing nothing
SueEasy checks who's actually suing you, whether the debt is too old to collect, and prepares your answer before your deadline, starting at $199.
What's at stake in a debt collector lawsuit
A default judgment is their business model
Most of these lawsuits end in default, not because anyone loses an argument, just because nobody answered. Answering alone changes the math for them.
It doesn't stay the same size
A judgment collects 10% interest a year for up to 10 years. A $9,000 debt ignored can become over $23,000 a decade later.
It's not just your credit on the line
Once a judgment is entered, they can garnish up to 20% of your paycheck, freeze your bank account, or place a lien on property you own.
The part most people don't know
Most of these lawsuits come from debt buyers, companies that bought your account for pennies on the dollar, often years after it was written off, sometimes resold more than once. To win, they have to prove they actually own your specific debt, and that paper trail is often incomplete.
What it costs to answer a debt collector lawsuit
Start free, see everything before you pay
- Full guided intake
- Deadline and statute of limitations check
- Review of whether they can prove ownership
- Draft answer preview
Priced by how much the lawsuit is asking for
- Amount claimed under $12,500: $199
- Amount claimed $12,500-$35,000: $699
- Amount claimed over $35,000: $1,299
- Complete answer, ready to file and serve
Extra confidence, priced by case size
- Everything in Prepare and file
- Licensed CA attorney review
- Revisions before filing
- Attorney files on your behalf
The court also charges its own filing fee, $225 for claims up to $10,000, $370 for $10,000-$35,000, or $435 for unlimited civil, paid separately to the clerk. Most people qualify for a fee waiver on form FW-001. This covers preparing and filing your answer, it's not legal representation unless you add attorney review, and we don't appear in court on your behalf.
From debt lawsuit summons to a filed answer
Tell us what's going on
A few plain questions about who's suing you and what you remember about the debt. This is also where we help you understand exactly how much time you actually have, since the 30-day countdown is easy to miscount.
- 30 calendar days from the day after you're served, not the date on the complaint
- If papers were left with someone else and mailed to you, add 10 more days
- If day 30 lands on a weekend or court holiday, it rolls to the next court day
- Already past your deadline? Check whether a default's actually been entered yet, there's sometimes still a small window, and undoing one is possible within six months
We check who's really suing you
We look at whether they can prove ownership, whether the debt's too old, and what defenses fit. Most of these lawsuits come from debt buyers, companies that bought your account for pennies on the dollar, often years after it was written off, sometimes resold more than once. To win, they have to prove they actually own your specific debt, and that paper trail is often incomplete.
You file it in time
We tell you exactly where it goes and how, so it reaches the court before your deadline. If you're close to the line, you can also ask the other side's attorney in writing for a 15-day extension, most grant a first request.
Can the debt buyer prove they own this debt
Most of these cases aren't really about whether you once owed money. They're about whether this company can prove it owns your account.
Reasons their case might not hold up
- They can't produce a complete paper trail from the original creditor to them
- The debt may already be past California's 4-year deadline to sue
- They skipped information California law requires debt buyers to disclose
- The lawsuit doesn't clearly explain how they calculated what you owe
Reasons you might have a real defense
- Too much time has passed, this is often the strongest defense of all
- You already paid, settled, or included this in a past bankruptcy
- This isn't even your account, mistaken identity happens more than people think
- They added fees and interest they can't properly explain
If your debt collector lawsuit doesn't go your way
A judgment that grows
The court can enter judgment for what's claimed, plus interest and costs. That judgment collects 10% interest a year and stays enforceable for a decade.
Money taken directly
They can garnish up to 20% of your paycheck or freeze your bank account. Some funds, like Social Security, are generally protected, but you often have to claim that yourself.
It can follow your property
A lien can attach to real estate you own in the county. California's homestead exemption protects a good amount of home equity, but it doesn't erase the debt.
But it doesn't have to end this way, settle instead
Debt buyers often settle for 30% to 60% of what they're asking, and settle better after you've answered, since a contested case costs them real money. Get any agreement in writing before you pay anything, and never make a payment on a debt that may already be too old to collect, it can restart the clock on the whole balance.
Debt collector lawsuit questions, answered
SueEasy is a self-help legal technology product built by LegalForce RAPC Worldwide, P.C. Using SueEasy does not create an attorney-client relationship and does not provide legal advice. Check your county's court self-help center before paying anyone, many run debt defense clinics at no cost.