Summons—Definition

Hannah Locklear | March 15, 2023

A Summons is a legal document that notifies a defendant that a lawsuit has been filed against them and that they are required to appear in court. It generally contains information such as the names of the parties involved, the court where the case will be heard, and the deadline for the defendant to respond to the lawsuit. A Summons is typically served by a process server or other authorized person who delivers it to the defendant in person, although it can also be delivered by mail in some cases.

What is the legal definition of an Alias Summons?

An Alias Summons is a legal document that is issued by a court when a defendant has not been served with the initial summons or has not appeared in court for a scheduled hearing. The term "alias" means "alternative" or "second," indicating that the alias summons is a second attempt to notify the defendant of the legal proceedings against them.

The purpose of an Alias Summons is to give the court another opportunity to ensure that the defendant is properly notified of the lawsuit or hearing. The alias summons will typically contain the same information as the original summons, including the name of the plaintiff, the case number, and the date, time, and location of the court hearing.

If the defendant is properly served with the alias summons and fails to appear in court, the court may enter a default judgment against them, meaning that the plaintiff automatically wins the case. However, if the defendant does appear in court, they will have the opportunity to defend themselves and present their case before the judge.

What is a Summons for debt?

A Summons for a debt lawsuit is a legal document that is served to a person who is being sued for an unpaid debt. This type of Summons typically informs the defendant of the debt owed and the amount owed, and it provides instructions on how to respond to the lawsuit.

The Summons will generally include a deadline by which the defendant must respond. The deadline to respond to a debt lawsuit varies by state, but it could be anywhere from 14-35 days of being served with the Summons. If the defendant fails to respond within the specified time frame, the court may enter a default judgment against them, which means that the plaintiff will automatically win the case.

If the defendant does respond to the Summons, they may be required to attend a court hearing, where the judge will hear arguments from both parties and make a decision on the case. If the judge rules in favor of the plaintiff, the defendant may be ordered to pay the debt, along with any applicable interest and legal fees.

Here is a debt Summons example

You might be wondering what a Summons for debt looks like, and the truth is, it depends on where you live. However, regardless of your state of residence, a Summons for debt will usually include the following information:

• The defendant (person or company being sued)
• The plaintiff (person or company suing)
• The court in which the case is filed
• The date of filing
• The deadline to respond

We’ve attached a debt Summons below, filed in California, to give you an idea of what a legitimate Summons for debt collection looks like.

Do not ignore a Summons for debt collection

If you’ve received a Summons for debt, you might be tempted to ignore it. Ignoring a debt lawsuit will not have a happy outcome.

Luckily, SoloSuit makes responding to a debt lawsuit simple. All you have to do is follow these three steps:

1. Respond to each claim listed against you.
2. Assert your affirmative defenses.
3. File your Answer with the court, and send a copy to the opposing attorney.

SoloSuit can help you with each of these steps and more. Watch the following video to learn more about how to answer a debt lawsuit.

How do you negotiate a debt settlement after Summons?

Being sued can be stressful, especially if you know you owe the debt. Even if you’ve already been sued for a debt, you can still reach out to your creditor or debt collector to discuss debt settlement options.

Debt settlement involves the process of paying off all or a portion of your debt to settle the case once and for all. Many creditors, and most debt collectors, are willing to settle for less than the original amount owed. In fact, according to America Fair Credit Council’s Regan Report, the average consumer can reach a debt settlement of 50% when working with a debt settlement company.

However, you should be careful when dealing with companies that offer debt settlement services, which often turn out to be scams. SoloSettle is different from traditional debt settlement services.

As a tech-based approach to debt settlement, SoloSettle can help you settle a debt on your own. Our software helps you send and receive debt settlement offers until you reach an agreement with your creditor or debt collector. This allows you to stay involved in the debt settlement process from start to finish.

Here are a few other features that set SoloSettle apart from other debt settlement services:

• You can settle debts of any size with SoloSettle. Many debt settlement companies require you to have a debt over $15k.
• SoloSettle manages the settlement agreement documentation for you.
• SoloSettle protects your financial information from predatory debt collectors.
• SoloSettle is powered by SoloSuit, a trusted brand and company that helps people fight and beat debt collectors in court.
• SoloSettle has legal defense built in with SoloSuit. While settling, you can use SoloSuit to block lawsuits if you need. Most debt settlement companies don’t provide legal defense; if you’re sued for a debt you are on your own.

To learn more about how to settle a debt, check out the following video.

What is SoloSuit?

SoloSuit makes it easy to fight debt collectors.

You can use SoloSuit to respond to a debt lawsuit, to send letters to collectors, and even to settle a debt.

SoloSuit's Answer service is a step-by-step web-app that asks you all the necessary questions to complete your Answer. Upon completion, we'll have an attorney review your document and we'll file it for you.

>>Read the FastCompany article: Debt Lawsuits Are Complicated: This Website Makes Them Simpler To Navigate

>>Read the NPR story on SoloSuit. (We can help you in all 50 states.)

How to answer a summons for debt collection in your state

Here's a list of guides for other states.

All 50 states.

• Alabama
• Alaska
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Montana
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Guides on how to beat every debt collector

Being sued by a different debt collector? Were making guides on how to beat each one.

• Absolute Resolutions Investments LLC
• Accredited Collection Services
• Alliance One
• Amcol Clmbia
• American Recovery Service
• Asset Acceptance LLC
• Asset Recovery Solutions
• Associated Credit Services
• Autovest LLC
• Cach LLC
• Cavalry SPV I LLC
• Cerastes LLC
• Colinfobur
• Covington Credit
• Crown Asset Management
• CTC Debt Collector
• Cypress Financial Recoveries
• Delanor Kemper & Associates
• Eagle Loan of Ohio
• Educap
• Estate Information Services
• FIA Card Services
• Forster & Garbus
• Freshview Solutions
• Fulton Friedman & Gullace LLP
• Harvest Credit Management
• Howard Lee Schiff
• Hudson & Keyse LLC
• Integras Capital Recovery LLC
• Javitch Block
• Jefferson Capital Systems LLC
• LVNV Funding
• Mannbracken
• Mariner Finance
• Medicredit
• Michael J Adams PC
• Michael J Scott
• Midland Funding LLC
• Mullooly, Jeffrey, Rooney & Flynn
• Mountain Land Collections
• MRS Associates
• National Collegiate Trust
• Nationstar Foreclosure
• Northstar Capital Acquisition
• NCEP LLC
• NRC Collection Agency
• OneMain Financial
• Palisades Collection LLC
• Pallida LLC
• Paragon Revenue Group
• Pinnacle Collections Agency
• PMAB LLC
• Portfolio Recovery Associates
• Provest Law
• PYOD LLC
• Reunion Student Loan Finance Corporation
• Revenue Group
• Regents and Associates
• RSIEH
• Salander Enterprises LLC
• Second Round Sub LLC
• Security Credit Services
• Sherman Financial Group
• Suttell and Hammer
• T-Mobile
• Transworld Systems
• Tulsa Teachers Credit Union
• UCB Collection
• Velo Law Office
• Velocity Investments
• Waypoint Resource Group
• Weinberg and Associates
• Wolpoff & Abramson

Win against credit card companies

Is your credit card company suing you? Learn how you can beat each one.

• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Chase
• Credit One Bank
• PayPal Synchrony Card
• SYNCB/PPEXTR
• Synchrony Bank
• Target National Bank
• Wells Fargo

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