It's Financial Literacy Month and we're sharing what happens when you get sued for a DEBT! 💰 📄 If you receive court documents, then you MUST respond to them or else a creditor can get a judgement against you. 🚫 Creditors cannot try to take money that you may owe them unless they have obtained a judgment against you in court. ⚖ Even if a judgement has been entered, you can still go into court to try and resolve the case. 🔍 Not sure if you're being sued? You can search your name on the NYS E-Courts website to check if judgements were obtained without your knowledge. If you need assistance, the Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office (CLARO) provides unrepresented consumers with free advice and counsel about debt collection matters. Visit CLARO at Brooklyn Civil Court on Thursdays from 2:00-4:30 PM in Room 1312, 13th FL and 5:00-7:00 PM in Room 504, 5th FL. For more information about our Consumer Debt and Bankruptcy program, call (718) 624-3894 or visit (link in bio): www.accessjusticebrooklyn.org/get-help #Brooklyn #Community #Debt (fb)

It's Financial Literacy Month and we're talking DEBT! Ignoring debt will not make it disappear! It can damage your credit score and creditors can take legal action for repayment. What exactly happens when you stop paying a creditor? Payments are usually reported to the Credit Reporting Agencies as delinquent and creditors will try to collect on the debt by making phone calls, sending offer letters, etc. After 6 months, the debt is “charged off” as bad debt, but that doesn’t mean you don’t owe the money! The creditor may sell the debt to a third-party debt buyer or keep the debt themselves. The creditor or third-party debt buyer may sue you in court to collect on the debt. Ignoring legal notices won’t make the lawsuit disappear either! If you don’t respond and a creditor or third-party debt buyer sues you and wins, they may be able to garnish your wages, freeze your bank account, or put a lien on your property to recover the debt. Not sure what to do? The Civil Legal Advice and Resource Office (CLARO) provides unrepresented consumers with free advice and counsel about debt collection matters. Visit CLARO at Brooklyn Civil Court on Thursdays from 2:00-4:30 PM in Room 1312, 13th FL and 5:00-7:00 PM in Room 504, 5th FL. For more information about our Consumer Debt and Bankruptcy program, call (718) 624-3894 or visit: www.accessjusticebrooklyn.org #Brooklyn #Community #Debt (fb)