If you were sued — start here
Most people who get served do nothing — and lose automatically. You don’t have to. Find your deadline, make them prove the debt, and turn their own violations back on them.
What to do before that date:
Do NOT ignore it
Silence is how they win by default — a judgment, garnishment, and a lien, automatically.
Make them prove the debt
Demand validation under the FDCPA. Junk-debt buyers often can’t produce the paperwork.
Start a validation letterCheck for violations you can counter
FDCPA/FCRA violations can flip the case — they pay you. Run a dispute to surface them.
Run a disputeYes — we now prepare your Answer. The guided generator below builds a court-ready Answer for California and Texas justice courts, free with a free account: general denial, your defenses preserved, filing steps included. In every other state you still get your map below — your deadline, your court’s own free self-help, and the general-denial skeleton to respond on time.
Talk to us about your case →28Solutio is a self-help platform — not a law firm, and this isn’t legal advice. Deadlines are estimates; the controlling date is the one on your court papers.
Answer deadlines are procedural, not negotiable — miss one and the collector can take a default judgment without a trial. The exact count depends on your court and how you were served.
Counts from: the date you were served — check the summons for the exact count
If it runs out: Approximate. Courts count this differently by case type and service method, so confirm the date printed on your summons.
FRCP 12(a)
Counts from: the date you were served — check the summons for the exact count
If it runs out: Miss it and the collector can take a default judgment — a decision against you with no trial and no hearing.
CCP 412.20
Counts from: the date you were served — check the summons for the exact count
If it runs out: Miss it and the collector can take a default judgment — a decision against you with no trial and no hearing.
Counts from: the date you were served — check the summons for the exact count
If it runs out: Approximate. Courts count this differently by case type and service method, so confirm the date printed on your summons.
These orient you; they are not your deadline. The controlling date is the one printed on your summons — courts count differently by case type and service method. 28Solutio is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.
Answer generator · free with a free account