What to do if someone is trying to sue me?
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What to do if someone is trying to sue me?
I few months back, I was involved in a car accident that did just over $25,000 in damage. Myself and 2 others were involved. I rear-ended a woman who slammed on her brakes very quickly in front of me and my delayed reaction cause the wreck. I hit her and she proceeded to swerve out of the way, come to a complete stop, and drive into the corner of a building. My car still did not stop and I also ended up rear-ending another vehicle who remained perfectly straight in our lane. It was one big mess and I thought we had cleared it up. The second woman’s insurance company contacted me and I explained that due to injuries I sustained, I lost my job and have $4,000 in medical bills and $400 in tickets from the wreck. That company agreed to take whatever my insurance company could offer and be done with it. My car was covered completely via total loss and gap insurance. The majority of everything else was also covered. The first woman’s insurance company went straight to a law firm and sent me a letter stating that immediate action is required of me and that I owe them 8,000 that they had to pay in damages. I have nothing – not a penny to my name, no job, no assets. Absolutely nothing. After losing my job I now have bad credit that will likely continue to decline and follow me until I can get things sorted out. This is extremely emotional for me because I’m struggling with a toddler. I’ve had to move back home and have my family help me so that I can raise my child for the moment. I don’t know what to do. I can’t even afford a lawyer.
Asked on July 21, 2017 under Accident Law, Oklahoma
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
There isn't much you can do. You can pay what they want; you can try to settle for a lesser amount and/or payment over time; you can defend the case in court, possibly as your own lawyer ("pro se") but will probably lose--the rear driver (the one who rear ends another) is almost always considered to be at fault. Those are your options. If you fight and lose, you could potentially file for bankruptcy to eliminate or reduce the debt; bankruptcy works against debts owed from lawsuits and car accidents, so long as you were DUI (you can't discharge in bankruptcy amounts owed due to DUI/DWI).
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