In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, when a credit card company or debt collector sues an individual on a delinquent credit card debt, it is typically filed in the Arbitration Division of the Allegheny Court of Common Pleas.  When the case is filed, an arbitration hearing is automatically assigned.  Increasingly, potential clients have been contacting our offices regarding defense of these suits.  Many are under the mistaken impression that no response is required because a hearing has already been scheduled.  This is not the case.  You must still abide by the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure and file a response to the Complaint within twenty days of service of the Complaint on you or a judgment by default can be entered against you.    If you intend to defend the lawsuit, you must file a response (either by Preliminary Objection - a document that challenges the sufficiency or legal correctness of the lawsuit - or by an Answer) within the time printed on the notice attached to the front of the Complaint.  Do not wait for the scheduled arbitration hearing or you will most likely appear at the hearing only to find that a judgment by default has already been entered against you.

If you would like more information or are looking for an experienced consumer attorney to defend a credit card lawsuit filed against you, contact us.

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