📺 Episode 1: The Day I Got Served (And No, Not Like in the Dance Battle Movies)

It was 7:00 PM when the universe said, “You know what she needs? A lawsuit.”
The man at my door was polite. The paperwork he handed me? Not so much.

What he handed me was a summons — I’d officially been served with a credit card lawsuit, and panic set in fast.

He was a process server, and he came bearing a civil lawsuit — against me, Nyla Armstrong — over an alleged credit card debt.

He asked me to sign a receipt, which I now know is a critical legal step. If you’re not served properly, it could be grounds for dismissal. 💡

Before leaving, he gave me some surprisingly helpful advice:

“Call the number listed and respond to the court.”

That simple sentence might have saved me from a much bigger disaster.

🧠 Knowledge Bomb: Most People Don’t Respond

Roughly 70% of people who get served with a summons never respond — which results in:

Default judgments
Wage garnishments
Liens on property or bank accounts

Yes, they can literally come after your already-struggling wallet — all because you froze up or didn’t know what to do.

💥 Lesson #1: Ignoring it makes it worse.

😩 After My Panic Attack, I Researched Like a Maniac

I had a full-blown meltdown (I mean, wouldn’t you?), then spent a few days researching everything I could. I Googled. I ChatGPT’d. I even scrolled some extremely questionable forums.

I assumed I had 30 days to respond. Turns out, in my court — just 20 days.
📍 Check your local court’s timeline — it varies by location and court type.

🎓 YouTube University and Mixed Messages

Every video said something different:

Lawyers said, “Try to settle.”
Others said, “File an answer.”
Some said, “Challenge standing.”
Nobody said, “Here’s exactly what to do in your situation.”

And yes — I found a small, faceless online community trying to help regular people fight back. But I found them late in the game, and only picked up bits and pieces of info before I had to act.

So I did what I could.

⚖️ I Called My Prepaid Legal Plan

Thankfully, I have a prepaid legal membership, and it connected me to a consumer attorney.

She couldn’t officially advise me unless I retained her, but I was able to read my drafted response aloud, and she told me some sections were misplaced. Legally, she couldn’t tell me what to write unless I paid her retainer, so I did my best.

My response included a general denial and an argument that the plaintiff may lack standing to sue — meaning they may not legally own the debt or prove the right to collect on it.

⚠️ I wasn’t sure this was the “right” defense. But it was better than not responding at all.

🏛️ Filing Day

I printed 3 copies: one for the court, one for the plaintiff’s lawyer, and one for my own records.

Then I drove to the courthouse like I was about to be convicted of something. (Spoiler: I wasn’t.)

After passing through a metal detector and wondering if they could somehow smell my fear, I filed my papers. The clerk stamped them and kept one copy. I sent the plaintiff’s copy by certified mail — just to have proof it was delivered (not required, but recommended).

🧭 What Comes Next…

Here’s where it gets interesting.

That small online community I mentioned?
They weren’t just helpful — they were eye-opening. The little knowledge I gained from them before filing gave me the only direction I had at the time.

I’m hoping to reach out to the person behind it and see if there’s a way to share his book or course with others — because if you’re navigating this system alone, you need support.

👀 Coming Up in Episode 2…

Did I mess up the filing?
Did I choose the wrong defense?
Will the judge call me out for trying to act like a lawyer?

Find out in Episode 2: Filing a Motion When You’re 87% Sure You Did It Wrong.

See you soon,
— Nyla