Sued for Debt in Georgia

A creditor or debt buyer files a complaint and has you served with a summons. If you don’t answer within 30 days, they will get a default judgment. After a judgment, they can file a wage or bank garnishment against you and place a lien against your home.

You do not have to face this lawsuit alone. We are a full-service debt relief law firm. If you already know you want to settle the lawsuit, we can negotiate. If you want bankruptcy protection, we file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 for you.

Settlement can resolve a sued account when you can afford to fund an offer. It does not automatically stop a lawsuit the way a bankruptcy filing does. Filing Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 will immediately stop the lawsuit. Chapter 7 will give you a discharge of unsecured debts — including credit card and personal loan lawsuits — if you qualify. Chapter 13 can give you a chance to pay that debt and others over time at a payment you can afford.

Debt settlement

Negotiate eligible debts for a lump sum or payment plan.

Chapter 7

Wipe out virtually all unsecured debt if you qualify. Keep house, car, and stuff in most cases.

Chapter 13

One payment. Stop foreclosure or repossession through the automatic stay.

You cannot be jailed in Georgia simply for not paying a consumer debt, however there is one dangerous exception people miss: post-judgment interrogatories. Those are written questions that arrive after a judgment. Fail to answer in time, and the creditor can ask the court to hold you in contempt and put you in jail. That is not jail for the debt — it is jail for not answering the questions. If you receive post-judgment papers, call us immediately.

A judgment often leads to wage garnishment. Georgia wage garnishments can withhold 25% of your disposable earnings. Settlement may still be worth exploring if you have funds. Bankruptcy can stop a garnishment through the automatic stay and, in some cases, recover money already taken.

For the broader comparison, see settlement vs bankruptcy.