Forms: answer & discovery requests in a debt buyer lawsuit

Now available for public consumption in Minnesota is a set of forms for use in debt buyer lawsuits. While these forms will not be appropriate for every debt buyer lawsuit, they should help consumers answer the generic complaints used by most debt collection law firms in Minnesota.

Right now, debt collection law firms are “default mills.” They file numerous lawsuits on behalf of debt buyers, knowing that most consumers will never answer. If a consumer does not answer, the debt buyer wins and starts garnishing wages and bank accounts. These forms should enable consumers in Minnesota, at least, to answer debt buyer lawsuits, forcing debt buyers and debt collection law firms to prove their case, and to get at least the basic information that the debt buyer has or can get about the debt.

You can find the forms and other legal information here

Read the instructions carefully before using the forms. Seriously. They include instructions on filling them out and using them, but also information on where to get help if you do not understand something or you think you need more than just the generic forms.

Finally, you cannot simply answer and then ignore the lawsuit. A lawsuit is like a game of ping pong. If you don’t keep the ball in the air, you lose. If you are not sure what to do after serving your answer, contact my firm or another attorney for help.