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How to Settle Debt With Forster & Garbus

George Simons | January 31, 2025

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Patrick Austin
Attorney from George Mason
Patrick Austin, JD

Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: Forster & Garbus LLP is a debt collection law firm. If you get sued by Forster & Garbus, respond with a written Answer and file it with the court to block a default judgment. Then, use SoloSettle to negotiate with Forster & Garbus online to settle the debt for less.

Did you receive notice of a lawsuit from a law firm called Forster & Garbus, LLP? If you did, this article will help figure out what to do.

Getting into debt often ends up with you getting all kinds of correspondence from people and companies you may have never heard of before. Does that mean you should ignore the correspondence? Definitely not!

It is completely understandable to want to ignore collection calls and letters with the hopes that they go away. But unfortunately, that only makes your situation worse. If you get a notice that you are being sued, the worst thing you could do is ignore it. You would be wise to respond to the lawsuit right away.

In most cases, you will improve your chances of winning when you simply respond to the lawsuit. By contrast, if you ignore a lawsuit, then the debt collector will obtain a legal judgment against you. With that judgment, the collector can then restrain your bank account and/or garnish your wages.

Respond to a debt collection lawsuit in minutes with Solo.

Now, you’re probably wondering exactly how you can respond to a collection lawsuit from Forster & Garbus. Don't worry, we are here to help. In this article, we will discuss who Forster & Garbus is and how you can respond if they sue you.

Now, let’s dive right in.

Settle debt with Forster & Garbus

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What is Forster & Garbus?

Forster & Garbus, LLP is a law firm, based in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, that works primarily as a debt collection firm. They file cases against consumers who owe money.

Forster & Garbus also owns a separate collection agency—using the same business address as the firm—named Professional Credit Services, Inc. Like other debt collection agencies, Forster & Garbus' debt collection company buys accounts in default for pennies on the dollar and then tries to collect on those debts.

If you need to reach Forster & Garbus, you can use the Forster & Garber phone number and following contact information:

  • Phone number: (800) 245-9943
  • Address: 60 Motor Parkway, Commack, New York 11725
  • Website: https://fggnj.com/

Who does Forster & Garbus collect for?

Forster & Garbus, LLP collects for banks and credit card companies like Capital One, Citibank, Macy's, and Discover in debt collection matters. The firm also collects on defaulted student loan debts from National Collegiate Fund, Sallie Mae, and others.

Read Forster & Garbus reviews online

If you’d like to know what consumers have shared regarding their debt collection experience with Forster & Garbus, then take some time to check out these real online reviews:

Most of these Forster & Garbus reviews report complaints about negative experiences dealing with the law firm, but there are also several who shared very positive experiences. It’s clear that the people who are willing to communicate with Forster & Garbus typically reach a resolution faster and with less tension. Here is an example of such an experience from a consumer named Donald:

“I called them to pay off my balance that was owed to discover which was my fault this fell behind. At first when I got there notice was freaking out. Trying to find a way to pay them. Today Ms Barry which is a kind woman understood where I was tried to offer settlement but I turned that down because paying a debit in full even if it is charged off is better for the credit. Thank You.”

As you can see, when you willingly engage in a conversation with Forster & Garbus, you can negotiate a payment plan that works for you.

The FDCPA gives you rights that can protect you

The purpose of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is to protect consumers from abusive and harassing debt collection practices. The FDCPA established regulations on the debt collection industry and created a list of rights for consumers.

Actions that are prohibited by debt collectors under the FDCPA include:

  • Calling at odd hours, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
  • Threatening you with arrest
  • Pretending to be a member of law enforcement or an attorney
  • Demanding more than is actually owed
  • Using profanity or other abusive language
  • Discussing your debt with anyone except you, your spouse, or your attorney
  • Calling more than seven times in a seven-day period

These are just some of the debt collection methods prohibited by the FDCPA. If you're being contacted about an old debt, and you believe the debt collector may have violated these rules you can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the BBB.

You can also file a counterclaim for violating the FDCPA, and possibly recover up to $1,000 per violation.

What should I do if I'm being sued by Forster & Garbus?

When you get sued by Forster & Garbus, you will receive some court documents in the mail or in person called the Summons and Complaint. The Summons notifies you of the lawsuit, and the Complaint lists all the specific claims being made against you.

Responding to the Summons and Complaint is the first step you can take to beat Forster & Garbus in court.

So, how do you respond to their lawsuit? By filing a document called an Answer.

You only have up to 35 days to respond to the lawsuit, depending on where you live. If you don’t respond within the deadline, Forster & Garbus will request a default judgment against you. If the default judgment is granted, Forster & Garbus can garnish your wages and put liens on your property.

Since time is of the essence, you want to make sure to get some help. But hiring a lawyer can be stressful and expensive. Luckily, you can respond to the suit yourself with a little help from SoloSuit.

SoloSuit can help you draft and file your Answer in all 50 states.

How to make an Answer to a Forster & Garbus LLC lawsuit

You don’t have to hire an attorney to draft and file your Answer to a Forster & Garbus lawsuit. Save yourself some time and money by using the tips and tricks listed below. You can make your Answer all by yourself.

When you are drafting the Answer to the Complaint, keep these 6 tips in mind:

  1. The Answer isn't the place to tell your side of the story in detail. Instead of using an elaborate story to respond to the lawsuit, your Answer should focus on responding to the claims listed in the Complaint document. Keep it simple. You can admit, deny, or deny due to lack of knowledge.
  2. Deny, deny, deny. Most attorneys recommend that you deny as many claims as possible, forcing Forster & Garbus to do more work to prove their side of the case.
  3. Include affirmative defenses. These are any legal reasons that Forster & Garbus should not win the case. A common affirmative defense used in debt lawsuits is the statute of limitations, which is the time period that a debt collector has to sue someone for a debt. If the debt is past the statute of limitations, then the lawsuit is void.
  4. Use standard formatting or “style”. At the head of the Answer document, be sure to include a caption where you list the court information, party information, and case number.
  5. Include a certificate of service. It's important to serve your Answer to Forster & Garbus. At the end of your Answer document, include a certificate of service when you verify the address you used to serve Forster & Garbus the Answer.
  6. Sign it. Most courts reject any legal documents without signatures, which is why this last step is so crucial.

Now, let’s take a look at an example.

Example: Brenda is getting sued by Forster & Garbus in California. She owes an old debt to a credit card company. After doing some research online, she finds out that the statute of limitations on this debt has expired. She uses SoloSuit to draft and file an Answer to the lawsuit. In her Answer document, Brenda uses the expired statute of limitations as an affirmative defense. When Forster & Garbus realizes the debt is no longer valid, they dismiss the case.


Learn more about these six tips in this video:

Can you Beat Forster & Garbus LLP in court?

The quick answer to this question is, yes. You can beat Forster & Garbus LLP in court without the help of a lawyer. Here’s how.

They Have the Burden of Proof, Not You

If you know you don’t owe a debt, or that the amount represented is inaccurate, you can respond to the lawsuit. When Forster & Garbus sues, the burden of proof rests upon them because they initiated the lawsuit.

If you respond by denying all the claims that you believe are untrue, or even partially untrue, the collector will be required to prove each one. If they aren't able to prove that you owe the debt, then you may win the lawsuit.

Negotiate a debt settlement with Forster & Garbus

If you know you owe the debt, you can also try reaching out to Forster & Garbus to negotiate a debt settlement.

Debt settlement is a great way to avoid going to court. If you know you owe the debt, and you have enough money to pay off a portion of it, contact Forster & Garbus to discuss debt settlement options. Engaging in good faith negotiations oftentimes leads to an amicable resolution where you will only be on the hook to pay a percentage of the amount owed.

Here are some tips for negotiate with Forster & Garbus to settle your debt:

  • Be honest about your debt situation. Tell them why you can’t afford to pay. Explain your financial hardship clearly so they understand what you can realistically afford to settle the debt.
  • Determine how much you can afford to pay off the debt, whether it’s in monthly payments or a one-time, lump sum settlement.
  • Make an offer that is less than your maximum ability to pay to give yourself room to negotiate. Keep in that, in many cases, offering somewhere between 45%-60% of the debt is very effective.
  • Be prepared to receive a counteroffer. Forster & Garbus probably won’t accept your first offer, but don’t let that deter you from continued communications and negotiations with the firm.
  • When you reach an agreement, get it in writing. This will prevent issues if there are any discrepancies in the future.

SoloSettle can help you start the debt settlement negotiation process. Our software helps you send and receive settlement offers until you reach an agreement with Forster & Garbus. Then, we help you manage your agreement documentation and transfer your settlement payment to Forster & Garbus, keeping your financial information private and protected.

To learn more about how to reach a debt settlement with Forster & Garbus, check out this video:

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