The Answer, the right motions, and the proof-issue report on the plaintiff — built tonight. Free to preview.
Or type your details instead — free deadline check →
Self-help software, not a law firm. You review, sign, and file — we show you every step.
A defense lawyer
$349/hr
National average attorney rate (Clio 2026). A handful of hours on an Answer and motions passes $1,000 before the first hearing.
Answered
$33 tonight
Everything a lawyer would file first — the Answer, the case-appropriate motions, and the proof-issue report. $99 total over 3 weeks, or pay once. No interest. No subscription.
Doing nothing
The full amount claimed
Courts can enter a default judgment for the full amount plus costs — and wages can be garnished in most states. Silence is how these cases are won.
62% of the debt lawsuits in our six-year Wisconsin court study ended in default or uncontested judgment — the defendant never responds or never contests, and the collector wins automatically. National studies put the default share above 70%. When defendants do answer, the odds change sharply. That’s not marketing; it’s what the court data shows — in the largest independent case-level study (2.2 million California cases), filing an answer cut default judgments from 56% to 36% and raised dismissals from 29% to 45%. And the other side is weaker than it looks: in the FTC’s study of 90 million purchased accounts, debt buyers paid an average of about 4 cents on the dollar — and received an account statement for just 6% of the accounts they bought.
Read our published analysis →Start with your state — the deadline check is free everywhere, and tells you honestly if your case isn’t a fit.
Not listed? The free check still maps your deadline and points you to official self-help resources for your state.
Open a real sample of the Full Defense Packet — the Answer and proof-issue report exactly as the engine formats them, with fictional parties and a watermark — plus the filing checklist. No email required. And here’s what it looks for when a debt buyer is the plaintiff:
One packet, the whole case
Most tools hand you a form and wish you luck. Answered’s Full Defense Packet carries your case from the summons through settlement or a hearing — one price, and every step cites the your state statute or court rule it rests on.
Self-help software, not a law firm — you review, sign, and file every document yourself. Attorney review covers the state’s templates and workflow, not your individual case. No outcome is guaranteed.
Enter your state and when you got the papers, or photograph the summons and Answered will read it. Your estimated deadline in about a minute.
No card. No account. Honest "not a fit" answers.
Answered scans for proof problems — ownership, amounts, timing, standing — and shows a watermarked preview of your packet.
You see the strength of your position before paying anything.
One payment unlocks everything. Print or e-file with the included checklists — you can go from summons to court-ready Answer the same night — or have Answered mail it for $50 where available.
Deadline reminders and case chat included through filing.
“A debt buyer sued me. I answered pro se, made them prove a debt they couldn’t document, and the case was dismissed. Then I built the tool I wished I’d had that night.”
Answered is self-help software built by a defendant whose own case — Plaza Services, LLC v. DiSalle — was dismissed and is publicly verifiable on Wisconsin's court system (case 2025SC000885). We publish real, consented outcomes and our research data openly. We will never claim to be something we're not: we are not a law firm, and no outcome is guaranteed.
Check before assuming. Most states give 14 to 35 days from service, some courts work differently, and even after a missed deadline there are sometimes options, like moving to reopen a default. The free check maps your dates honestly — including telling you if the deadline appears to have passed.
The deadline check and case preview are free — no card, no account. If Answered can build your defense and you want the documents, it is one payment: the Full Defense Packet - $99, or $33 x 3 weeks with no interest and no credit check. Optional mail filing is $50 where available. No subscription, ever.
No. Answered is self-help legal software: it provides legal information and document automation, not legal advice or representation. You review, sign, file, and serve your own documents — with checklists for each step. If you can afford an attorney, hire one.
The free deadline check works everywhere. If Answered cannot sell you a packet in your state, we say so plainly and route you to official court self-help resources instead of taking your money.
Most people sued for debt never respond, and lose automatically. You’re already doing the one thing that changes the odds: looking.
$0 · No card · You only pay if Answered can build your defense