need legal advice

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I was served a court summons for unpaid medical bills.
The summons had no case number on it.
I checked the court docket and it would not show my name with out putting in a case number.
The debts were listed on it were from 5 claims and the total amount was on there.
Can they really sue for 5 debts on the same summons?
this is in Colorado.
 
Call the court clerk. They will give you your case number.
 
How were you served?
Someone actually came to your door and handed this to you or you just got a letter in the mail?
 
Originally Posted By: Balrog006
Call the court and ask the Clerk

Are the medical bills yours?


Yes they are.
 
I would call the places you owe money and work out a settlement for xx on the dollar. Or an installment plan. If you ignore it they will get a summary judgment in their favor.

Request a copy of the document where you requested a medical service and signed the document. Make sure it's yours and you signed for it.
 
Originally Posted By: marine65
I was served a court summons for unpaid medical bills.
The summons had no case number on it.
I checked the court docket and it would not show my name with out putting in a case number.
The debts were listed on it were from 5 claims and the total amount was on there.
Can they really sue for 5 debts on the same summons?
this is in Colorado.


Which court system did you check? Usually there's two of them depending on the amount and where it was filed. Check the county clerk of courts and your local municipal court docket. Everything should be online. Just do a good google search.
 
If you owe enough, and can't pay them (which most people cant) and don't mind a slight start over, File Chapter 7. It's just one way to do it. Not viable for every situation just depends on how much money/assests you actually have. A lot of those companies don't care about anyone except the money. Iv'e seen some not even offer any payment plan or anything.
 
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Don't pay a debt collector without a good paper trail to justify their claim.


Exactly, they will rip you off to high heavens. Probably best to consult an attorney if possible to work out an agreement. At a minimum get the settlement in writing or they will just keep coming after you. Kind of like a vicious cycle. When it goes to collections you're dealing with the worst of the worst. Kind of like dealing with shady mechanics to put it another way.
 
Listen to Jack. Never pay a penny to a debt collector unless they will prove they own the debt, or that they have a signed contract that they are authorized to collect the debt for the original creditor that you know you owed money to.
 
Call the county clerk first, then call the medical insurance places yourself and work out a payment plan. I would avoid the debt collector all-together since they can be pretty crafty.
 
Worse comes to worst you can file for a medical bankruptcy. It is viewed differently by banks than a regular BK. Just don't include ANY other bills or it will be viewed as a regular BK no matter how small the other bills are. Again only include medical bills nothing else.
 
Might be too late to negotiate but if you can get them to drop the court case that's a good start.

If they will drop, then go to letters. I had a CO urgent care visit quoted at $250, then received a $3000 bill a couple months later. Fast forward 4 bills and 5 letters later and they dropped all of the charges except the $250.

PM me for details if you want, I can send you the letters.
 
Court is public. Find out what days they do the medical bill lawsuits. Go and spectate and see what the process is and if others settle before trial and if so what percentage is typical.
 
You definitely want to go and contest it. You could probably file for discovery and ask the debt collector for all proof that you owe the money. You can go to the clerk's office to get the forms. They have very strict timelines though so get going on it quickly. Discovery also tends to delay the date. You don't really want a court judgement against you, the length varies in certain states. There's also the soldiers and sailors civil relief act, see if you qualify for it. Sometimes the local court also have free lawyers for the day, so ask about those services too. In my state, once you have a judgement against you, it's good for 20 years and if you don't pay, they charge 12 percent interest per year, but for medical it might be less. I've seen some judgments on homes where the original bill was just around a thousand or so, but after several years of non payment, the interest alone was several thousand. Those had to be paid off when the house was sold.
 
Agreed you need to contact the original biller and try to work out an agreement with them to pay the debt that you owe. Otherwise, it looks like you are looking for a way to weasel out of a debt that the rest of us will end up subsidizing.

It is usually best to pay your bills or at least make an attempt to make other arrangements instead of looking for legal advice on a motor oil website.
 
I will agree with the advice to settle the debt IN WRITING, settlement in FULL
Something like 25cents per dollar.
First contact the original hospital/biller and verify which debt collector it was sent to.
Don't give any money away until you have it in writing, and then only by paper check.
 
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