I was recently served with papers stating that I am being sued over a defaulted credit card in the state of Florida. The debt is roughly $4000. I've never been in a situation like this and am simply unsure how to proceed. I will be attending the mediation, but don't want to walk into it completely unprepared. At this point I am unable to afford an attorney and would like to simply do what I can to get this taken care of.

Some questions I have at this point:

  • Is there any possibility that they will settle for less than what we owe, or are we truly stuck paying $4000 plus court costs?

    Would it do us any good to contact the people suing us and see if we can settle this without having to go to court?

    What is the likelihood of having wages garnished?

    If we can take a chunk of cash to the proceedings, but not the full amount, would they be willing to work with us since we are showing an effort?


Any information to point us in the right direction is greatly appreciated.