I’m getting sued by Citibank – should I get attorney or contact firm representing Citi before court?
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So, it’s for a bad debt from almost 4 years ago while in college. Would there be a benefit for getting an attorney or should I contact the firm representing Citi to see about options. I haven’t been served yet, but received a bunch phentermine online without a prescription of letters from attorneys today – checked court system and sure enough, they’ve filled. I looked in some old records and the last amount was 00. It’s not something I could pay right away but would consider paying it within one year. With that being said, would Citit (the firm that is filing suit) consider setteling and let me pay it out? I just don’t want to pay for an attorney if its not going to do any good. Thanks for the help!
Yeah, just under 4 years and that’s the time frame in TX. Should I contact the firm before I get served or wait till then?
First off, 4 years is pretty old. Make sure the statute of limitations hasn’t lapsed on this (if it has they can’t win this – they are just trying to scare you).
Then if it hasn’t lapsed you could contact and say you have no money (give them no specifics – just that you are broke) and so they won’t be able to collect the debt against you. Still, you don’t want your credit hurt, so could they lower the amount and spread it out (so you could pay it with your income). Again, don’t tell them anything – not your salary, not your assets, not how much you think you could pay. Make them make the first offer, no matter what. They will dig and dig and try to find out what you can afford but just say you’ll need to check into what you can do.
You could also talk to a lawyer just for advice, but the amount isn’t so much and this alone will cost you $100 or something. Also, is seems pretty hopeless, sounds like you clearly owe the money so what can a lawyer do for you. Still, you never know.
I would save the money that you would have spent on an attorney, and make payment arrangements with Citi. Once they have filed a suit against you, either you go to court or you lose by default. You could try to contact them prior to the court date, as most courts want cases resolved instead of tons of cases on the court dockets. If you lose your court case and they attach wages or assets, you could file a modification order based on your income and any financial hardships that you may have. All told, they want to be paid, the courts want it resolved.