
Quoting
Treefrog
My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Tennessee
Family member received summons over credit card debt; I want to make sure we know what to do next. From online research am I correct in that we need to answer this complaint within 30 days, rather than just show up at the court date and present any defense there?
About all the complaint states is the plaintiff's name, court date, and statement "For suit on a sworn account..." (with amounts & court costs). I read somewhere that we need to answer the complaint line by line, but there isn't much to answer here. Do we need to present our evidence (SOL appears to be expired, debt total incorrect, etc.), or just (generally) deny the suit, and present the details later? Is there a form or pattern we can follow to make this response?
We're attempting to verify the SOL date, as the original account doesn't appear on the credit report (collection account does), by contacting the original creditor. Is it still appropriate to contact the current creditor or legal office, or do we risk admitting something we shouldn't by doing so. Given an elderly defendant with only SS/SSI income and who lives with me, I don't know what they hope to accomplish with this suit - so any chance we could get them to just drop it?
Thank You for any help provided.