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Sued by Works and Lentz? Here's How to Respond

George Simons | January 24, 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: If sued by Works and Lentz, respond promptly to avoid a default judgment. Then, negotiate to settle for less, communicate clearly, and get agreements in writing. Solo can help streamline the settlement process.

Getting a call from a debt collector is bad enough, but receiving a notice that you’ve been sued for a debt can be downright terrifying. It’s understandable to want to panic, throw away the notice, and forget it ever happened. However, that’s probably the worst thing you can do.

If you’ve been sued by Works and Lentz, keep reading to learn how to respond and settle your debt.

Settle debt with Works and Lentz

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

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What is Works and Lentz?

You’re probably already familiar with debt collection agencies. But there’s another kind of collections company out there, too — debt collection law firms. If you go long enough without paying a debt collector, the collector will often sue you. They can’t do that without an attorney — and that is where debt collection law firms come in.

Works and Lentz is a debt collection law firm, and it’s one of the more established ones. It was founded in 1990 and has one office in Oklahoma City and one in Tulsa.

As a law firm, Works and Lentz can send you a notice of a lawsuit against you. However, you should look closely at anything the company sends you, as it may not even be related to a lawsuit. A quick look at its website shows that it offers more collection services than just lawsuits, including:

  • Collections.
  • Insurance follow-up.
  • Skip tracing.
  • Post-judgment collections.
  • Legal collections.

In other words, if you get a letter from Works and Lentz, don’t automatically assume it’s a lawsuit. It could just be a letter asking you to pay the debt.

Who does Works and Lentz collect for?

As a nationally recognized and reputable debt collection law firm, Works and Lentz provides debt collection legal services to various creditors and companies in different sectors of the economy.

Read Works and Lentz reviews online

If you are looking for information about what consumers have said regarding their experience with Works and Lentz on an unpaid debt, then take a moment to read these reviews:

While the Works and Lentz reviews online are fairly mixed, one thing is for certain: people who openly engage with Works and Lentz to negotiate a debt resolution are more likely to reach one than those who ignore the law firm. Let’s consider a real example from Works and Lentz reviews submitted by a borrower named Autumn:

“Honestly, this has been one of the best debt collection agencies I have ever worked with. Mandy, my account manager, is the best. She is nice and understanding. After being unemployed for over a year, she worked with me to set up small payments. If I have to miss a payment, they don't make me feel bad about it. They actually treat me very well.”

This review shows that Works and Lentz debt are willing to work with you to resolve your concerns and get your debt paid in a manner that works for you and your current financial situation. Here’s the thing - communication is key.

If contacting a debt collector to negotiate doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, try using SoloSettle to negotiate online and resolve your debt through the digital settlement platform

Settle with SoloSettle

Make an Offer

How to negotiate with Works and Lentz to settle your debt

You can negotiate for debt settlement at any stage of the collection process—even after being sued and filing an Answer to the lawsuit. A debt settlement offer is basically a request for Works and Lentz to accept a reduced amount to resolve the delinquent account (typically a percentage of the total amount owed). Many debt collectors are willing to settle a debt for less, especially if you offer a reasonable lump sum.

Here are some steps you can take to negotiate a debt settlement with Works and Lentz:

  1. Calculate what you can actually pay towards the balance of the debt. For example, could you reasonably pay half of the amount owed and still have money left over to cover your living expenses? Doing this calculus is important because it can give you a guidepost for settlement negotiations.
  2. Make a reasonable settlement via a debt settlement letter requesting that the firm consider your offer. The settlement offer should be lower than the number you calculated in Step 1. This will leave room for you to negotiate upward if they reject your first offer. Make sure to engage in written settlement communications with Works and Lentz and continue to use written communication throughout the process.
  3. If you are able to reach an agreement on a settlement amount after negotiations, draft a debt settlement agreement for both parties to sign.
  4. Be sure to pay the agreed amount in time.

Learn more about how to settle your debt by watching this informative video:

Here’s what to do if you’ve been sued by Works and Lentz

How do you know if you’ve been sued? Fortunately, if you’ve been sued by Works and Lentz in Tulsa, you’ll know. You’ll receive two documents in the mail or served to you directly: a Petition and a Summons. The Summons tells you someone is suing you, and the Petition tells you why.

In Oklahoma, you have only 20 days to respond to a Summons and a Petition. It’s a tight turnaround, but it’s absolutely essential that you respond.

Why? In most cases, if you fail to respond within the given timeframe, the court enters a judgment against you. This means that Works and Lentz wins the case by default, and you’re stuck with a judgment against you that says you owe whatever it is they decided you did. Let’s look at an example.

Example: Quinn gets a Summons and Petition from Works and Lentz in OKC saying she’s being sued for $500. She sees that the filing date is February 1, so Quinn knows she has until February 21 to respond. Quinn doesn’t file by then, so the court rules that she must pay the $500 to Works and Lentz in OKC. If she had used SoloSuit to respond, should could have avoided the default judgment and worked out a debt settlement.


You might think that if this happens, you can continue to not pay the debt. That unfortunately may not be possible. With a judgment against you, Works and Lentz can likely garnish your wages or even have money taken out of your bank account.

The worst part is that once you have a judgment, you can no longer dispute the debt or set up a payment plan.

Respond to your lawsuit notice fast with SoloSuit.

Draft and file your answer

An Answer is an official document that essentially tells the court you intend to fight the lawsuit. There are three steps you need to take to draft and file yours.

1. Respond to each allegation

When you respond, you can admit or deny each allegation made against you. You can also admit or deny with an added explanation. For example, if the Complaint says you refused to pay a medical bill, you could admit it but explain you only refused because you’d just lost your job.

2. List affirmative defenses

You can point out the reasons why Works and Lentz doesn’t have a case against you when you list affirmative defenses. Many lawsuits use the affirmative defenses of payment (claiming you already paid) or the statute of limitations (the time limit for you to be sued for the debt has run out).

There are many affirmative defenses you can use under Oklahoma law.

3. File and serve

The final step is simple. You just need to file one copy with the court and send one copy to Works and Lentz in Tulsa or Oklahoma City, depending on which office is suing you.

SoloSuit can file your Answer for you.

Streamline the debt lawsuit settlement process with Solo

Unless you have extensive legal experience, preparing and filing a legal document can be extremely stressful. Fortunately, SoloSuit helps you do it quickly in three steps:

  • You answer a few questions about your case.
  • A specialized attorney reviews your case.
  • We complete your Answer document, file it with the court, and serve it to the person suing you.

In many cases, a law firm will simply drop your case after receiving an Answer. After all, many people just ignore the Summons and lose by default. It’s a lot easier for the law firm to collect on default judgments from these people than it is to fight the handful of people who actually file an Answer.

In most cases, filing an Answer is only the tip of the iceberg. In order to resolve the lawsuit and debt in question, settling the debt is often the best route to take. Works and Lentz will hear you out and work with you to resolve the debt, often settling for less. SoloSettle can help you negotiate with collectors like Works and Lentz to resolve the debt outside of the court system and without the endless game of phone tag.

Whether you’re facing a debt collection lawsuit or are just looking at how to remove Works and Lentz from your credit report, dealing with debt is overwhelming. Solo takes the guesswork out of the process and helps you resolve debt and get on with your life.

Draft and file an Answer in minutes with SoloSuit — start now!

How to Answer a Summons for debt collection in all 50 states

Here's a list of guides on how to respond to a debt collection lawsuit in each state:

The Ultimate 50 State Guide

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Some creditors, banks, and lenders have an internal collections department. If they come after you for a debt, Solosuit can still help you respond and resolve the debt. Here’s a list of guides on how to resolve debt with different creditors.

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If the thought of going to court stresses you out, you’re not alone. Many Americans who are sued for credit card debt utilize a Motion to Compel Arbitration to push their case out of court and into arbitration.

Below are some resources on how to use an arbitration clause to your advantage and win a debt lawsuit.

Stop calls from debt collectors

Do you keep getting calls from an unknown number, only to realize that it’s a debt collector on the other line? If you’ve been called by any of the following numbers, chances are you have collectors coming after you, and we’ll tell you how to stop them.

Federal debt collection laws can protect you

Knowing your rights makes it easier to stand up for your rights. Below, we’ve compiled all our articles on federal debt collection laws that protect you from unfair practices.

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We’ve created a specialized guide on how to find debt relief in all 50 states, complete with steps to take to find relief, state-specific resources, and more.

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Debt collection laws vary by state, so we have compiled a guide to each state’s debt collection laws to make it easier for you to stand up for your rights—no matter where you live.

Statute of limitations on debt state guides

Like all debt collection laws, the statute of limitations on debt varies by state. So, we wrote a guide on each state’s statutes. Check it out below.

Statute of Limitations on Debt Collection by State (Best Guide)

Check the status of your court case

Don’t have time to go to your local courthouse to check the status of your case? We’ve created a guide on how to check the status of your case in every state, complete with online search tools and court directories.

How to stop wage garnishment in your state

Forgot to respond to your debt lawsuit? The judge may have ordered a default judgment against you, and with a default judgment, debt collectors can garnish your wages. Here are our guides on how to stop wage garnishment in all 50 states.

Other wage garnishment resources

How to settle a debt in your state

Debt settlement is one of the most effective ways to resolve a debt and save money. We’ve created a guide on how to settle your debt in all 50 states. Find out how to settle in your state with a simple click and explore other debt settlement resources below.

How to settle with every debt collector

Not sure how to negotiate a debt settlement with a debt collector? We are creating guides to help you know how to start the settlement conversation and increase your chances of coming to an agreement with every debt collector.

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Personal loan and debt relief reviews

We give a factual review of the following debt consolidation, debt settlement, and loan organizations and companies to help you make an informed decision before you take on a debt.

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Struggling with student debt? SoloSuit’s got you covered. Below are resources on handling student loan debt.

Civil law legal definitions

You can represent yourself in court. Save yourself the time and cost of finding an attorney, and use the following resources to understand legal definitions better and how they may apply to your case.

Get answers to these FAQs on debt collection

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