Wht to do if I turned a vehicle that I couldn’t afford and now 5 years later a lawyer contacted me and said that owed $6000 or would be sentenced to 90 days in jail?
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Wht to do if I turned a vehicle that I couldn’t afford and now 5 years later a lawyer contacted me and said that owed $6000 or would be sentenced to 90 days in jail?
I told him that I couldn’t pay that amount now. He offered me to pay $650 by the end of this month; $2000 for next month and 1350 the month after. I barely make $2300 a month and I think the amounts they are requiring me to repay is unreasonable for the amount of income I make. They were not concerned with that. I can not pay such a large sum every month in addition to all my other bills. Is there anything I can do?
Asked on July 11, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, North Carolina
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you turned in a vehicle more than five (5) years ago and stopped making payments on your loan back then, then most likely under the laws of all states in this country most likely if no lawsuit has yet been filed against you for this claimed debt, the debt is time barred under your state's statute of limitations.
For a more concrete opinion on this statute of limitations issue, you should consult with an attorney who practices in the area of consumer law.
The threat of jail to collect a debt that seems barred by the statute of limitations by the lawyer who contacted you could very well subject that lawyer to a state bar complaint against him or her.
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