What are my 5 options now that I’ve been sued by Cavalry?
Congratulations for taking action!
Many people do nothing when they’re sued. You’re taking action! You went online. You found this article and video. Maybe you were referred to this video/article by someone. In any case, you are taking action which is great.
Make sure you respond so you won’t get a default judgement.
The number one thing to remember to respond, because you don’t want a default judgement. You must answer the lawsuit. You have 14 days in Small Claims and District court, and 30 days in Circuit court (in Alabama) from the date you were served.
If you have a question about when you were served, you need to find out when you were served. You can call the court, or even call us at 205-879-2447 (ask for Carolyn) and we can look it up for you and tell you if that information is available.
You do not want a default judgement.
A default judgement is when they can garnish your wages and bank accounts, and put liens on your home. In some cases, they may even take your property. Make sure you answer your lawsuit so this does not happen.
So what are your five options?
Five options:
One: Bankruptcy is extreme and rarely needed.
Bankruptcy is a very extreme option and rarely the appropriate option. However, you may be the exception to this. You may be in a situation where you need to file for bankruptcy.
Generally, we encourage people to look at bankruptcy, especially if they honestly say, “I see no way out, and when I look ahead one year, two years, three years, I just see things getting worse.”
In that case, bankruptcy may be an option. Most of the time, however, bankruptcy would be a last resort and a terrible option. Generally, better options are available.
The next two options we will discuss are do it yourself options.
Two: Fight the lawsuit on your own.
You don’t have to hire a lawyer. You can fight this on your own. The advantage is that you won’t have a lawyer fee. The downside is, you won’t have a lawyer.
In Small Claims and District court, however, it’s doable. It’s not always the best option, but it is doable. That’s something to keep in mind.
Three: Settle the lawsuit on your own.
For some people, this is the right option. Most of the time, however, there are better options than this. With this option, you need to make sure you understand what’s going on with credit reporting, taxes.
You also have to make sure your case (the lawsuit) actually gets settled and dismissed so you won’t be sued again, and make sure that you won’t get a judgement against you.
Now let’s talk about your options that include hiring a lawyer.
Four: Hire a lawyer to fight the case.
The downside of this is that you have to pay a lawyer to represent you, and you have to look at how much that would cost. Some lawyers do an hourly rate, some do it at a monthly rate, and others do a flat rate. Definitely something to look into if you’re thinking about hiring a lawyer.
The upside is you have a lawyer defending you and you would certainly presume and expect to have a better chance of success having a lawyer defend you. At least one that actually knows what he or she is doing.
Five: Hire a lawyer to settle the case.
Again, you have to evaluate and think about how this compares to settling on your own.
What’s the cost?
What are the benefits?
Ultimately, any of these options could be good for you.
“Which is the best option for me?”
Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t know how much they sued you for, what court you’re in, your financial situation, or whether or not bankruptcy is a good option for you. There are several variables that come into play when you’re sued.
Feel free to contact us
We will be happy to talk you through your options and help you figure out which is best for you. The good news is, you’re going to do something about this lawsuit, and we will be glad to walk you through your different options
If you require a bankruptcy lawyer, we will be happy to help you find one
If we walk you through your options and we end up saying, “Hey, your best option would be to file for bankruptcy.” We will be glad to help you find one. You may already have one, but if not, we will give you some recommendations.
If you handle this on your own, we will gladly share some resources with you
Many people fight their lawsuits on their own, and then they come to us and we sue Cavalry in Federal Court for money damages which is definitely an option.
If you hire us, we will tell you our flat fee so you know exactly what our fee is– no surprises
We’ll tell you exactly how much it will be. That way there will be no unexpected costs. Our position with any of these debt buyers, including Cavalry, is we either go to trial, or they drop the case and get it off your credit reporting. In turn, you won’t sue them. Everyone walks away. We will tell you our fee, whether we settle it or go to trial.
You can contact us at:
Phone: 1-205-879-2447
Or you can fill out a form to get in touch with us.
Hope you have a great day!