What kind of response should I give to a summons for a credit card
judgement? It says I am required to serve an answer. I do some work on
the net and have not even made $7000 a year in the last couple yrs. My
car is a beat up 92 Sable. To say I am pretty broke is an
understatement. The only answer I have is I can't pay. I could try to
pay a little a month but don't know if that is worth it. Any advice
would be much appreciated.

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Clarification of Question by fetch1111-ga on 21 Apr 2005 19:11 PDT

it's about $6,000 debt in new york

Note the standard GA disclaimer on legal advice... also note that I'm
not a GA researcher...

If you fail to respond to the summons, the civil court will likely
issue a default judgement against you. Down the road, this judgement
will make your life MUCH more difficult... in a sense, you've already
lost the court case by not showing up.

In my opinion, showing up with documentation of your financial
situation is a start. Your creditors likely realize that you can
declare bankruptcy and erase almost all of the debt, so they probably
will be willing to accept a reasonable payment schedule.

I also recommend hiring a lawyer to help you through the process...
it's worth the expense.

Also keep in mind that the new bankruptcy legislation may affect your
options in the future... again, something a lawyer can provide more
advice on.