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Forms To Answer Debt Collection Lawsuits

Getting sued can be stressful, and many people don’t know where to start. The most important thing is to respond. That might mean writing a response and showing up to court, by any deadline listed in the court papers, regardless of whether you think you owe the debt or not. By responding to the lawsuit, either yourself or through an attorney, you can make sure the collector has to prove that you owe the debt, that the amount of the debt is correct, and the debt collector has the legal right to sue you to collect on it. You may even be able to resolve the debt by responding or showing up in court because some collectors would rather settle than go through extended litigation. Whatever you do, don’t ignore the lawsuit. Even if you don’t think you owe that debt. Responding to a debt collector’s lawsuit in court will likely put you in a better situation, cost you less in fees, and give you more control over how you repay the debt.

Responding to Debt Collection Complaints

  • Answer a Credit Card Collection Summons
  • Affirmative Defenses, Including Statute of Limitations Defense
  • Foreclosure Defense Forms
  • Assert a Complaint or Counterclaim for Wrongful Debt Collection
Forms to Answer a Civil Summons

Answering a Civil Summons

Served with a Civil Summons or Complaint? Four Steps for Preparing Your Civil Answer

Forms to file a counterclaim

Filing a Counterclaim

A counterclaim is a claim by the defendant against the plaintiff. If you are being sued, this is your opportunity to assert your own claims against the debt collector or other plaintiff. Some plaintiffs assert counterclaims for fraudulent collection practices. Many of our forms include easy-to-use templates to generate your counterclaim. This allows you to turn the tables against the Plaintiff!

More than 50,000 Americans from all 50 states have used our state-specific debt collection response forms to respond to debt collection complaints. All forms were prepared by experienced attorneys, in plain English and with easy-to-follow instructions. Download, fill in the blanks, and sign. On average, if you use one of our forms templates, you can finalize your debt collection answer form in 30 minutes or less.

Your Answer Form is your written response to the statements in the Complaint. You are the defendant (or in some localities, the "respondent"). In your Answer, you state if you admit, deny, or lack knowledge of each statement made by Plaintiff. Do not admit any statement unless you know it is 100% true! If you do not know if the account number listed is your credit card number or whether the amount Plaintiff says you owe is correct, deny the statement. If you do not understand what Plaintiff is saying, say you lack knowledge. By filing your answer form with the court on time, you preserve your rights to argue about this matter in court and to get notice of future hearings. You may feel embarrassed or guilty about being in debt. You may just want it all to be over. You should still file an Answer. It does not mean you are trying to avoid your debts. You may disagree with the amount Plaintiff asked for in the Complaint. You may want to preserve your right to get notice of future hearings. If you do not file an Answer, you may lose your chance to say how much you think you should pay. In addition, filing your Answer also gives you the opportunity to raise defenses based on the Debt Collector's procedural improprieties, which may include violations of the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act. Many debt collectors make mistakes or engage in abusive conduct that can have the effect of preventing them from collecting debts. By answering a debt collection complaint, you preserve your legal rights, avoid a default judgment, and protect your credit standing. With our downloadable forms, we make this process easy, quick and affordable.

ALL OF OUR FORMS HAVE A N0-QUESTIONS-ASKED, MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. ORDER WITH CONFIDENCE.

AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES FREQUENTLY RAISED BY CONSUMERS IN DEBT COLLECTION ANSWERS:

Our answer forms have the affirmative defenses that you need to optimize the chance of winning the lawsuit. Some of these affirmative defenses include:

  1. The statute of limitations has run.
  2. Plaintiff is a debt buyer/assignee who did not properly acquire an interest in the debt.
  3. Insufficient service of process. You did not get the Summons and Complaint the way the law requires.
  4. The Debt Collector engaged in fraudulent conduct in inducing you to incur the debt and/or you did not authorize the charges that are the subject of the lawsuit.
  5. The debt collector did not provide pre-litigation notices required under federal or state law.