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How to Settle With Gurstel Law Firm

George Simons | November 14, 2024

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: To settle debt with Gurstel Law Firm PC, file an Answer to any pending lawsuits, contact the firm to make your first offer and begin negotiations, and get the agreement in writing and signed. If you are being sued by Gurstel Law Firm, file your Answer within the required timeframe, or you will lose the case by default. Use SoloSettle to automate the process.

Have you received a notice from Gurstel Law Firm about a debt? Perhaps it’s a debt you really owe, or maybe you don’t even recognize it. Regardless, you should respond to the notice and work towards a resolution. This will help you protect your credit, avoid costly court fees, and prevent bigger issues like wage garnishment.

Here's everything you need to know about Gurstel Law Firm and how to settle your debt.

Settle debt with Gurstel Law Firm PC

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

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Gurstel is a legitimate law firm that specializes in debt collection

Gurstel Law Firm P.C. is a law firm focused primarily on debt collection, including handling third-party debt collection. Gurstel Law Firm operates multiple offices across the country, including offices in Minnesota, Arizona, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and Wisconsin. Most of the law firm's locations go by the name “Gurstel Law Firm”, including its main office located in Golden Valley, Minneapolis.

However, if you receive a letter in the mail or receive a lawsuit from “Gurstel Chargo Attorney at Law” do not let the slight difference in the name confuse you; it is actually the same company (i.e., “Gurstel Chargo” is just the name the firm uses for their Omaha office).

Ready to resolve your debt? You can contact Gurstel Law Firm at:

  • Address: 6681 Country Club Dr, Golden Valley, MN 55427-4601
  • Phone: (877) 344-4002
  • Website: https://www.gurstel.com

Read Gurstel Law Firm PC reviews online

To learn more about Gurstel Law Firm and how it operates, you can visit the firm’s Better Business Bureau profile, read comments from real consumers on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s complaint database, or read reviews on Google listed for the firm’s different locations in Arizona, California, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

Who does Gurstel Law Firm collect for?

Gurstel Law Firm collects for many creditors and collectors, such as:

  • Absolute Resolutions Investments, LLC
  • Barclays Bank Delaware
  • Cavalry SPV I, LLC
  • Discover Bank
  • LVNV Funding LLC
  • Synchrony Bank

This is not a complete list of all the companies that Gurstel Law Firm collects for, but it gives you an idea of the types of clients the law firm takes.

Settle debt with Gurstel Law with these three steps

When you fall behind on your debt payments and the account is sent to collections, settlement may be the ideal path you can take to resolve the debt. Here are three steps to take to settle debt with Gurstel Law Firm PC:

Step 1: File an Answer to any pending lawsuits

First, if you’re being sued by Gurstel Law, be sure to respond to the case with a written Answer. This will block a default judgment and give you time to work out a settlement plan. Be sure to file the Answer with the court before your state’s deadline, and send a copy of it to Gurstel.

Step 2: Contact Gurstel Law to make your first offer and begin negotiations

Next, calculate how much you can realistically afford to pay to settle the debt. Try to be fair with your offer, but be aware that you can likely pay off the debt for less than the original amount.

Call Gurstel Law Firm. They will ask you for identifying information like your file number or court case number (both of these are typically outlined in your court documents). If you don’t have this information, you can give them your date of birth, social security number, or current address.

Explain your situation honestly. Make an offer, and be prepared to receive a counteroffer as a response. For this reason, it’s smart to start with a lower offer to give yourself room to increase the amount as you negotiate.

If the idea of calling a law firm like Gurstel intimidates you, know that you’re not alone and that you have other options. You can use SoloSettle to negotiate debt settlement online without the hassle and anxiety of phone calls.

Step 3: Get the agreement in writing and signed

Lastly, work with Gurstel Law Firm PC to get the settlement agreement in writing. The agreement should outline the settled amount, deadline to pay it, and any information about future payments if the settlement involves a payment plan. Here’s an example of a debt settlement agreement to give you an idea of what to look for in yours.

You can defend yourself if Gurstel Law Firm sues you

If the Gurstel Law Firm decides to file a debt collection lawsuit against you, it is recommended that you immediately prepare a response to the lawsuit - this is typically called an Answer - and that you ensure that your response is timely filed with the correct court. Why? Because if you don’t file a response (aka Answer) to the Complaint with the court, it is very likely that the debt collector will win without a fight.

Once the law firm wins the lawsuit, depending on the state, various remedies can be used to recover the debt owed, this includes a wage garnishment, a bank attachment and/or placing a judgment lien on your real property. Don't make this mistake because there are options if you know what to do.

Here are some tips that will help you respond to Gurstel Law Firm with a proper Answer:

  • Find out if there are any local forms that you need to complete.
  • Make sure you sign the Answer and that you timely File the Answer at the Courthouse where the case was filed. Most debt collection cases require a response to the Petition or Summons & Complaint within 20 or 30 days of You receiving the complaint. That means it is very important that you open your mail every day.
  • Typically you will receive the complaint either via the mail, via a processor server, or via the complaint being left on/at your door). Sometimes someone else in your household is served with the Complaint - make sure that your family, roommates, and friends know to give you all of your mail everyday so that you can timely respond to the complaint.
  • It is important to respond to each paragraph of the Complaint
  • Unless you are 100% sure that the amount is correct and you owe the debt, never admit that you owe the debt or that the amount is correct! Remember that Gurstel must prove under the law that you owe the debt.
  • At the same time of filing your Answer, also send a copy of your Answer to Gurstel.
  • Additionally, check the court’s online docket or call the Clerk of Court’s office in order to make sure that your Answer has been received and was filed with the Court.

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Use affirmative defenses in your Answer to a debt lawsuit against Gurstel

When you respond to Gurstel's lawsuit, you have the chance to attack their legal arguments. Remember the Plaintiff (ie, the person suing you) must prove that you are the person who owes the debt and owe the alleged amount.

This means Gurstel must prove the following:

  • That the Plaintiff is owed money (ie, proper ownership of the debt);
  • That you are the person who owes the Plaintiff (or in other words, that you actually owe the debt);
  • That the lawsuit was filed timely (ie, this is state specific and is typically referred to as the statute of limitations); and
  • That the Plaintiff can prove that the amount stated in the complaint is due and owing (the amount the Plaintiff claims you owe is correct).

If Gurstel is unable to prove any one of these things, there are excellent odds that you will beat them in court and have the lawsuit tossed out.

Affirmative Defenses are a reason why You should not have to pay, even if the facts in the Complaint are true. Various Affirmative Defenses to use, include the following:

  1. Statute of Limitation Defense: this refers to whether or not the Plaintiff timely filed the Complaint against you. The amount of time is governed by state-specific laws. In many states, the statute of limitations is 3-5 years from the last usuage or the last payment date. Be sure to check your state’s Statute of limitation on the internet to see if the complaint was filed timely or not
  2. Accord and Satisfaction Defense: this is a legal concept where the parties resolved the dispute due to a settlement or doing something else to replace the original obligation.
  3. Mistaken Identity / Wrong person Defense: if you have a common name, the debt might not be yours (ie. you don’t have to pay for a debt that you did not incur).
  4. Improper Venue Defense: this refers to whether or not the Law Firm sued you in the correct court. Debt collector typically have to file a lawsuit against you in the place where you reside or where the contract was signed.
  5. The Debt has been paid, settled or discharged in Bankruptcy: this is a very common defense that most often occurs when the original creditor or the Plaintiff has failed to properly credit a payment or series of payments. Additionally, accounts discharged in bankruptcy cannot be collected on.

Know your rights when Gurstel contacts you to collect a debt

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (aka The FDCPA) is a federal law that limits action of third party debt collectors (such as Gurstel Law Firm) who are attempting to collect debts on behalf of another person or entity. The FDCPA sets forth specific guidelines and rules that dictate not only how 3rd party debt collectors can act but also what they have to do. Some of the guidelines include:

  • Debt collectors cannot contact you where you are working more than once, unless you give them permission to contact you when you are at work.
  • Debt collectors cannot repeatedly call you in order to annoy or harass you
  • Debt collectors cannot use threats of violence or other criminal means to harm you in any way.
  • Debt collectors cannot contact you before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you have given them permission to do so.
  • Debt collectors cannot use profane, abusive, rude or vulgar language when talking to you on the phone or in emails or texts.
  • Debt collectors are not allowed to threaten lawsuits unless they actually intend to file one against you.
  • Debt collectors cannot lie about the amount of money you owe.
  • Debt collectors are required to tell you that “they are a debt collector” and “that any information provided by you to them will be used for the purposes of debt collection”.
  • Debtor collectors cannot contact you if they know you have an attorney nor can they use a postcard to try to collect a debt.
  • Debtor collectors cannot not tell you that if you don’t pay the debt that you will be arrested or sent to jail

If you have evidence that proves Gurstel Law’s collectors violated the FDCPA when they contacted you to repay a debt, you may be eligible for compensation of up to $1,000 per violation.

If you are sued by Gurstel Law, here’s an overview of actions you should take

Here's a quick recap of actions to take if Gurstel sues you:

  • To settle debt with Gurstel Law Firm PC, file an Answer to any pending lawsuits, contact the firm to make your first offer and begin negotiations, and get the agreement in writing and signed.
  • If you are being sued by Gurstel Law Firm, file your Answer within the required timeframe, or you will lose the case by default.
  • In the Answer, think about raising at least one affirmative defense, such as the statute of limitations. Also insist that Gurstel provide proof of the amount you owe and that you are the one who owes the debt.

Debt collection lawsuits are no fun, but don't despair. With the assistance of SoloSuit, you can settle the debt and win.

Good luck!

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