The Answered Blog
Page 5 of 55. Back to the latest guides.
Defense Strategies
Debt Collection Summons: What Every Line Means and What to Do Next
A summons tells you that a lawsuit has started. The most important fields are the court, plaintiff, case number, service date, deadline, hearing date, and instructions for responding.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
How to Write an Answer to a Debt Collection Lawsuit
An Answer is the written court response to a debt collection complaint. If your court track requires one, it usually admits or denies each allegation, raises affirmative defenses, and preserves your chance to make the plaintiff prove the case.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Pro Se Debt Defense: How to Represent Yourself in a Debt Collection Lawsuit
Pro se means representing yourself. In a debt lawsuit, the first job is not to master every legal rule. It is to respond on time, preserve defenses, and avoid default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
What Happens If You Ignore a Debt Collection Lawsuit
Ignoring a debt collection lawsuit does not make it disappear. It produces a default judgment — a court order that the plaintiff wins by default — which then opens every collection mechanism available to a judgment creditor: wage garnishment, bank account levies, property liens, and years of credit damage. This is the most comprehensive guide on the internet to what happens when you do not respond, and what to do instead.
Read more →
State Guides
How to Fight a Debt Lawsuit in Colorado
If you were sued for debt in Colorado, start by identifying the court track, deadline, plaintiff proof problems, and whether the claim is too old under C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5.
Read more →
State Guides
How to Fight a Debt Lawsuit in Connecticut
If you were sued for debt in Connecticut, start by identifying the court track, deadline, plaintiff proof problems, and whether the claim is too old under C.G.S. § 52-576.
Read more →
State Guides
How to Fight a Debt Lawsuit in Maryland
If you were sued for debt in Maryland, start by identifying the court track, deadline, plaintiff proof problems, and whether the claim is too old under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101.
Read more →
State Guides
How to Fight a Debt Lawsuit in Massachusetts
If you were sued for debt in Massachusetts, start by identifying the court track, deadline, plaintiff proof problems, and whether the claim is too old under M.G.L. c. 260, § 2.
Read more →
State Guides
How to Fight a Debt Lawsuit in South Carolina
If you were sued for debt in South Carolina, start by identifying the court track, deadline, plaintiff proof problems, and whether the claim is too old under S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(1).
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Alabama
Alabama's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 3 years under Ala. Code §§ 6-2-37 and 6-2-34. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Colorado
Colorado first-release consumer-debt cases use a 6-year limitations period under C.R.S. § 13-80-103.5 for liquidated debt and determinable money claims. The defense usually has to be raised in the right response before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Connecticut
Most Connecticut credit-card, medical, personal-loan, and account debt uses the 6-year period in C.G.S. § 52-576. The 3-year oral-contract rule in C.G.S. § 52-581 is narrower and should not be applied unless the claim truly rests on an unwritten agreement. The defense usually has to be raised in the right response before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Iowa
Iowa's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 5 years under Iowa Code Sections 614.1(4), 614.1(5), and 614.7. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Louisiana
Louisiana's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 3 years under La. Civ. Code arts. 3494, 3499, and 3464. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Maryland
Most ordinary Maryland consumer-debt claims use the 3-year period in Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101. Covered consumer-debt collection actions also have anti-revival protection under CJP § 5-1202 after the limitations period expires. The defense usually has to be raised in the right response before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Massachusetts
Most first-release Massachusetts consumer-debt cases use the 6-year limitations period in M.G.L. c. 260, § 2. The defense usually has to be raised in the right response before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Nevada
Nevada's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 4 years under NRS 11.190(2)(a)-(c) for open account/account stated/unwritten theories; NRS 11.190(1)(b) for written instruments. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Oklahoma
Oklahoma's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 5 years under 12 O.S. Sections 95, 101, and 105. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Oregon
Oregon's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 6 years under ORS 12.080. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in South Carolina
Most South Carolina credit-card, open-account, account-stated, personal-loan, retail-installment, and medical-debt cases use the 3-year period in S.C. Code Ann. § 15-3-530(1). The defense usually has to be raised in the right response before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Tennessee
Tennessee's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 6 years under Tenn. Code Ann. Section 28-3-109. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Utah
Utah's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 6 years under Utah Code Sections 78B-2-307 and 78B-2-309. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt in Washington
Washington's statute-of-limitations reference for ordinary debt is 6 years under RCW 4.16.040 and RCW 4.16.080. The defense usually must be raised before default.
Read more →
Defense Strategies
Advanced Defenses in a Debt Collection Lawsuit
Your Answer helps you move away from default. Advanced defenses are the next layer: proof pressure, arbitration, limitations, service issues, counterclaims, discovery, and motions that force the plaintiff to prove the case.
Read more →