You aren't listening. Validation means nothing to the court action. Validation is purely a step in verifying credit reporting irregularities. They are NOT obliged to provide you with any VALIDATION before they file charges. They didn't even have to report to a credit bureau before they did so (many debts do not). You (well, your lawyer) can request discovery of the particular of the EVIDENCE they will present in court which will be used by the court to determine if you indeed owe the debt.