Court date set, no summons

[walker740]

Hi!

I'm in the state of Missouri. I recently found out a debt collector is suing me. The only way I know is because some local attorneys have sent me junk mail wanting to represent me. I went to my local court site and found out I am indeed being sued. A summons was issued November 23rd, and the court date is scheduled for January 11th. I have not been served. We are in the early stages of filing for bankruptcy, and now we are feeling rushed to file before the court day. My question is, once I get served don't I have some time to respond? Is it common to have a court date set even though the summons has not even been delivered?

Thank you!

[HHM]

It depends on your state's rules of civil procedure, but I suspect you can expect to be served this upcoming week or the next. Yes, you will have time to respond. My guess is you must be served at least a certain number of days before the court date. (usually 20).

[ryan]

Walker, you may also want to call your court house and find out if there is a fee for answer/appearance in this type of case and if so, how much.