No job and getting sued for credit card debt … any advice?

I don’t have any income right now and can’t afford a lawyer. I’m sacrificing a lot to finish school and don’t own anything valuable. I owe $2500 to Discover and now they’re suing me. What should I do? I don’t have the money to fight this.

Maybe you could try to settle? Like, offer $150 a month? Discover can be tough to work with though, and they might only accept a lump sum now that they’re suing.

Try not to stress too much. $2500 is pretty small in the big picture. Just let it play out, and they’ll likely offer a settlement around 50% eventually. You’ll probably laugh about this later on in life.

@River
OP is actually 55 years old.

Skyler said:
@River
OP is actually 55 years old.

Debt is part of life. We can pay it off little by little, and if anything happens, it’ll just be cleared when we’re gone. No need to take it all so seriously.

@River
Debtmaxxing at its finest.

Since you don’t have any income, check with legal aid. They might offer free help or connect you with an affordable attorney. I think it’s worth a shot to fight this, but I might be a bit biased.

Darwin said:
Since you don’t have any income, check with legal aid. They might offer free help or connect you with an affordable attorney. I think it’s worth a shot to fight this, but I might be a bit biased.

Thanks! I’m looking into that.

If you get sued, they’ll just try to work out a plan for you to pay later. Even if you show up to court, the outcome will likely be the same. You could ignore it and deal with it when you have income, or try to make small payments now to show you’re willing to pay.

@Chen
I wouldn’t ignore it. If you skip court, they automatically win and can add more fees and interest. Then, if you get a job, they could garnish your wages. Better to show you’re trying to resolve it instead of avoiding it.

@Kellen
What would they win? If OP doesn’t have a job or assets, a judgment won’t do much. They can just ignore the calls until they’re in a better position.

@Chen
Never skip court papers. File a response, use every legal option, and keep pushing the case along. That’s what the system is for.

Right now, you’re what they call “judgment proof” - no wages to garnish, no property to put a lien on. Just keep track of this debt, and when you start working, try to settle it. Just know that if you have a bank account, they could try to levy it, so don’t keep too much cash in there.

@Bao
Yep, no direct deposit for you!

Consider joining the Air National Guard. It’s part-time, they’ll pay you, and cover student loans. If things don’t work out, you could even go full-time with them. Non-combat roles can be a solid backup plan.

@Jai
I’d love to, but I’m in nursing school full-time, so I can’t leave for basic training right now.

Jory said:
@Jai
I’d love to, but I’m in nursing school full-time, so I can’t leave for basic training right now.

I’m a nurse now and was in the military before. Have you considered ROTC? You can stay in school, and they work around your schedule. Nursing school is tough, but a budget could help you get by. When do you finish school?

@Haru
I finish in May. I’m in med-surg 3, and it’s intense. I’m worried that if I take on a job now, I won’t be able to pass.

Jory said:
@Jai
I’d love to, but I’m in nursing school full-time, so I can’t leave for basic training right now.

Talk to a recruiter. They might let you delay basic training until after graduation. And with the Guard, you’d be covered under the Soldiers and Sailors Act, so they couldn’t come after you for the debt for a while.

Are you planning on buying a car or house soon? If not, and this debt’s over a year old, you might just ignore it. Stop contacting them, or they might reset the clock on your debt. After seven years, debts like this fall off your credit.