summon to court pertaining to being sued

United States
November 4, 2006 6:07pm CST
I HAVE A PERSONAL LOAN FOR 1200 DOLLARS.... I HAVE BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR OVER 3MNTHS AND BEEN ON MEDICAL LEAVE....I NEVER HAD THE INTENSION ON NOT PAYING THIS ACCOUNT.. IT SAY IF I DO NOT WISH TO CONTEST THIS I DO NOT HAVE TO APPEAR IN COURT, HOWEVER I WAS SENT PAPERWORK TO MY HOUSE AS BEING SUMMONED.. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@claudia413 (4280)
• United States
5 Nov 06
It means you should go to Court if you think you have a good defense (and not being able to pay is no defense). Yes, you have the right NOT to appear in Court; however, they will then get a judgment against you and it will carry interest and will appear on your credit report. You should try to work out something with whoever you borrowed it from and avoid having additional charges added on (court costs). Contact them before the hearing and explain what's going on. That's always better than ignoring it. They're not going away. Another thought: If you're paying a very high rate of interest on the borrowed money, it may be cheaper in the long run to let them get a judgment against you if the court will impose a lower interest rate. See if you can call a few attorneys until you find one that will charge you a reasonable amount for a half hour of his time and get his advice.
1 person likes this
@karinna (233)
• United States
5 Nov 06
you have to show up and explain yourself to the courts. more than likely you will be court orderd to pay this debt and what these ppl may do is try to attach your wages when you do return to work. or brfor this hearing you can call these ppl and try to work something out with them, a payment plane!! this will atleast show the courts you made an effort
1 person likes this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
5 Nov 06
All good advice here.. Can't think of anything to add.. Best of luck..
@ahalapia (942)
• United States
5 Nov 06
here is a great website that might answer any questions that you may have. http://www.nolo.com/definition.cfm/term/2124689D-81A1-4119-BD2BC7C86B17F745