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5 guides
Collections and lawsuits
- What debt collectors can and can’t doCalifornia and federal collection rules, validation notices, disputes and old debts.
- When someone is sued over a debtReading the Summons and Complaint, the 30-day response period, and the common response forms.
- After a judgment: garnishment, levies and exemptionsHow judgments are collected in California and the protections that limit collection.
Words to know
- Automatic stay
- A bankruptcy court order that pauses most collection activity when a case is filed.
- Claim of exemption
- A form a debtor files to protect money or property from collection under exemption laws.
- Debt buyer
- A company that buys old debts from original creditors and tries to collect them.
- Discharge
- A bankruptcy court order that releases a debtor from personal liability for certain debts.
- Earnings withholding order
- A court order directing an employer to withhold part of a paycheck for a judgment (a wage garnishment).
- Judgment
- The court’s final decision in a case, which can include an amount owed.
- Levy
- Taking money or property to pay a judgment, such as from a bank account.
- Statute of limitations
- The time limit for filing a lawsuit.