California Debt Settlement Blog
FDCPA violations. Collector tactics. Settlement strategies. California law.
-
Sewer Service: When You Were Never Actually Served
Some process servers file sworn proofs of service for papers they never delivered — it is common enough to have a name. Proving it unwinds everything built on it.
-
Default Judgment Against You? CCP 473 and How to Reopen the Case
A default judgment is not necessarily the end. California gives real paths to vacate it — especially when you never knew about the lawsuit at all.
-
Discovery Requests That Make Debt Buyers Fold
After you answer, you get to demand their evidence. Well-aimed discovery exposes the empty file behind most debt buyer lawsuits — and empty files produce dismissals.
-
The Affirmative Defenses That Beat Debt Buyers in California Courtrooms
Debt buyer cases fail on predictable weak points. Pleading the right defenses in your answer turns their thin file into your dismissal.
-
Answering a Debt Collection Lawsuit Without a Lawyer
An answer is not a confession or an essay — it is a short form that denies what the plaintiff must prove and preserves your defenses. In most collection cases, it takes an hour.
-
You Have Been Served: The 30-Day Clock That Decides Your Collection Lawsuit
Most collection lawsuits are won by default — not because the collector proved anything, but because the defendant never responded. Do not be that statistic.
-
DIY vs. Debt Settlement Companies: What the Fee Rules Tell You
Settlement companies charge 15 to 25 percent of your enrolled debt to send letters you can send yourself. Federal law even had to ban them from charging before delivering anything.
-
Which Debts to Settle First: The Triage That Saves Thousands
Settling in the wrong order wastes money on debts that could have waited and leaves the dangerous ones armed. Triage before you spend a dollar.
-
Hardship Letters That Actually Move Collectors
A hardship letter is not a sympathy plea — it is an economic document that tells the creditor your realistic capacity and makes their choice simple: this settlement or nothing collectible.
-
The 1099-C Surprise: Taxes on Forgiven Debt and the Insolvency Escape Hatch
Settle a 10,000 dollar debt for 4,000 and the IRS may treat the forgiven 6,000 as income. Most people who owe that tax could have legally excluded it — they just never filed one form.