How do I deal with a civil court suit summons with debt collection, & what if I don't have transportation?

Discover Card wants to sue me for 3-yr. old debt that I wan't able to afford to pay off because of Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. That's when I had trouble paying off my debts & trying to find a job. I am STILL financially struggling. 1 debt collector called me a few weeks ago, yelling @ me & trying to say Hurricane Katrina was my fault. (I know it wasn't my fault). I receive SSI & Social Security. Before Katrina, I was paying ALL my credit card bills ON time for a whole year. I was financially secure. Ever since Katrina, no one wants to hire me on a job because of my Tourette's & other disabilities. Debt collectors don't care about my situation. I'm WILLING to find (2) jobs if I have to. I'm willing to work & pay them off. But I'm stuck on a fixed income, & I'm very afraid of losing my gov't. & health benefits.

What should I do? They didn't give me a specific date, but they gave me a civil suit #.

I don't have a car, I don't have a way to get to court. It's far away. & I have no money. I can't afford a taxi. I live here in Texas.

A non-attorney mediation law firm just sent me this letter, offering to mediate & be my power of attorney, & they want to charge me $$, but they can't defend me in court. Neither Discover Card nor any courts have contacted me, regarding this possible court date. This is the 1st time I'm OFFICIALLY notified of a lawsuit that's coming up soon.

Thanks a lot Sensible_man. I'm glad you understand.

KW, If you wanna be nasty, then I don't owe you an explanation for my problems. OK?



But I'm going to say it anyway, since it can help "other" people understand my situation a little more. I have my BA in Spanish, & as I said, people are afraid of my Tourette's, so they refuse to hire me. Employers are very narrow-minded, picky, & judgmental when it comes to hiring people.

Also, Mickey D's & WalMart tell me I'm too over-qualified for their jobs. I can't FORCE anyone to "give" me a job. Plus, you don't know what my limitations are. I can't stand on my feet for long.

First of all,don't go with the mediation firm,all they want is your money.
Lots of bill collecting agencies use threats to try to get you to pay. This civil suit # might just be a threat to scare you into sending a payment. Or they may be in partnership with this so called mediation firm. Don't worry about it until you get something from the courts.
If and when you get an official letter,reply to it that your only source of income is disability. More than likely,they will drop the case. SS checks cannot be garnished for credit card debts. If they know they won't get any money,they will probably not take you to court.
If they do anyway,you have to appear. You'll have to find a way to get there. If you don't show up,you will automatically lose your case.
You don't have to explain your disabilities to anyone. Those who don't live with disabilities have no idea what it is like. Just ignore those who think you are faking a disability in order not to work.
Good luck to you.

I am not condoning your breach of payment of a legal debt, but what you are experiencing now is merely Collection Agencies trying to make their commission. You will know that court is nearing when you get a letter from an attorney and requiring you to file an answer within a certain period of time with the Court. Don't ignore this and write up what you plan to do about the debt and send it to the court. Include your situation and the only means of money you are collecting. Normally you make a copy and send that to the attorney who contacted you.

So, you are telling me that no fast food places, grocery stores (I.e. Walmart, SAMS, etc.) will hire you? Or is it that you are being picky about the job you want?

How are you on the internet? Do you have cable? Do you have a cell phone? Maybe get rid of your "luxury" items and start paying these debts off!

So, you have no friends, relatives, church members, etc. that can take you to court? Since you are NOT scheduled for court at this time, then start saving $5 or $10 dollars a week. This way, you will be able to afford to get to court!