Howdy folks. Had some financial trouble for a while before I ever got laid off. Anyways, got a letter today from a law firm in my home state saying I have 30 days to pay or dispute the validity, etc, etc, or a suit will be filed. I've been collecting unemployment since last August. Is there a chance they'll actually sue, knowing I have nothing for them to collect? It's a couple of years old, and it's a little over $3000. The law firm is Singletary & Thrash-Jackson, in Jackson, MS. And I just pulled my Transunion. It went to Midland Funding (Midland Credit MGMT, are they the same?) who sent it to the lawyers. Midland did an inquiry in Nov 08 showing a permissible purpose of "Collection". I'm going to do some more reading on this forum, but I thought someone more knowledgeable than me could send me a quick answer to help me sleep tonight. Thanks for your help.
Your employment status has nothing to do with a lawsuit.I would dispute these as to their ownership of the debt.And don't wait to do it send it cmrrr!
Send a simple letter saying that you dispute the debt and want validation. If you don't want them to call, also say that it is inconvenient for you to receive calls at any time at any number and that future correspondence should be in writing. Make sure you say it is inconvenient, that is the wording in the law. And jjgross is correct, your employment status doesn't matter. If they get a judgment, it is good for many years (the exact number depends on the state) and can often be renewed. So when you do get work, they'll come after you. They could possibly even sieze your bank account now.
When did you make the last payment on the account? The statute of limitations for using a lawsuit to recover a credit card debt in Mississippi appears to be 3 years. If your last payment was January 2 2006, and your next due date was February 20 2006, then the SOL ran out 2/21/09. After 3 years, they can still sue you, but you have a very good defense that the matter is time-barred. Absent unusual circumstances, that's usually sufficient to shut down a debt lawsuit.
