Five steps to take now.
- 1
Find the response deadline
Read every page. Write down the court, case number, plaintiff, hearing date, and the date your response is due.
- 2
Confirm the case with the court
Use the court’s official website or clerk’s office—not contact information supplied only by a caller—to confirm that the case exists.
- 3
Look for local legal help
Contact legal aid, a consumer-law attorney, or your court’s self-help center. Court forms and defenses are state-specific.
- 4
Prepare and file the required response
Responding does not admit the debt. It preserves your ability to require proof and raise valid defenses. Follow the court’s format, filing, service, and fee rules.
- 5
Keep a complete case file
Save the complaint, summons, envelope, payment records, account statements, correspondence, filing receipts, and proof of service.
Do not rely on these tactics alone
- Writing “refuse to contract” on the summons
- Returning papers without filing a court response
- Assuming a collector’s silence creates a private “tacit agreement”
- Sending a self-created fee schedule and treating it as a judgment
- Assuming a billing-error letter automatically stops a lawsuit
Why the deadline matters
If you do not respond, the court may enter a default judgment. A judgment can expand the collector’s options under state law. The CFPB advises consumers to respond by the date specified in the court papers, personally or through a lawyer.