I was in Court the other day, representing a client who was being sued by a debt collector. Prior to my client’s case being called, I watched a debtor try to explain to the judge why she did not owe the debt. Her explanation sounded plausible, but the judge gave the debt collector a judgment for the full amount.
You might ask, “Why did this happen?” Well, it turns out that the debtor failed to answer the complaint correctly, missed a deadline for answering discovery, and did not respond on time to a motion filed by the debt collectors attorneys. The judgment was over $10,000.00.
The judge called my client’s case next. It was a lawsuit for more than $10,000.00. I pointed out to the Judge that the other side had failed to meet a crucial deadline. The Judge agreed and the debt collector’s lawsuit became worth very little. After that hearing, the case settled for a very small amount. My client saved over $7,500.00 and more importantly, my client did not get a judgment on his credit report.
The difference between these two outcomes is stark.
If you are sued, get a lawyer who knows what he or she is doing.