Hello,
My wife just got a court notice that she is being sued for an old credit card debt that amounts to 1500 dollars. We just received it and after checking it appears they only reached out via email to collect the debt and never called or sent a letter to notify her that the debt was needing paid. It also shows her maiden name and the phone number they had on file was incorrect. It appears the last payment was 01/14/2021 and the debt was sold on 9/20/2021 and they notified her by email on 10/12/2021.
What are my options? The amount they want appears to be 500 dollars higher than the last bill and there is mention of paying court fees and a modest attorney fee as well.
1. I don't mind paying it personally, but 1500 at once is a lot for us at the moment. Could we contact the plaintiff and see if they would allow us to resume payments?
2. If they win the judgement, can they even take my earning since she no longer works or has a bank account in her name? I earn the money for the family.
3. Is there anything that we can use to our advantage since they haven't reached out about the debt by telephone or physical mail? She never checks her email and the last message was in 2021.
4. How should I respond? It says I have to respond within a certain time period or else plaintiff wins the lawsuit.