Sued for a Credit-Card Debt in Collin County? Your Deadline Is 14 Days.
If you were served with a credit-card collection lawsuit in Collin County, you have until the end of the 14th day after you were served to file a written answer with the Justice of the Peace court. Miss that deadline and the collector can take a default judgment for the full amount, then try to freeze your bank account. Filing an answer stops the default and forces the collector to actually prove its case.
Most credit-card suits in Collin County are filed in one of the county’s four Justice of the Peace courts, and most are brought not by your original bank but by a debt buyer that purchased your charged-off account. Those cases have weaknesses. Here is how the process works and what your options are.
Which court your case is in
Collin County has four JP precincts. A debt claim is filed in the precinct where you live or where the debt arose. Precinct 1 (Judge Raleeh) sits in McKinney and covers McKinney, Frisco, Allen, Plano, Anna, Melissa, and Princeton. Precinct 2 (Judge Skinner) is at 1025 S. State Highway 78 in Lavon and covers Wylie, Murphy, Sachse, Lavon, Nevada, Farmersville, and Royse City. Precinct 3 (Judge Missildine) is at 920 E. Park Blvd. in Plano and covers Plano, Allen, Lucas, Parker, and Murphy. Precinct 4 (Judge Venegoni) is at 8585 John Wesley Drive in Frisco and covers Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Carrollton, and parts of Plano and McKinney.
The Citation you were served with names the court and precinct. Debt claims in JP court are capped at 20,000 dollars, not counting interest and court costs. Larger suits go to the Collin County Courts at Law at 2100 Bloomdale Road, McKinney, where the answer deadline is different: the Monday after 20 days have passed.
The 14-day answer deadline
Under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 502.5, you must file a written answer in a JP debt claim by the end of the 14th day after you were served. If the 14th day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline rolls to the next business day. The answer does not have to be fancy. A signed letter to the court that says you dispute the claim and lists your defenses is enough to stop a default.
If you do nothing, the collector files a motion for default judgment and the court can enter judgment for the entire amount claimed, plus court costs and post-judgment interest. Many debt-buyer suits succeed only because the person served never files an answer. Undoing a default judgment is far harder and more expensive than filing the answer in the first place.
Who is actually suing you
Look at the top of the Petition. If the plaintiff is a company like Midland Funding, Portfolio Recovery Associates, LVNV Funding, Cavalry SPV, or Velocity Investments, you are being sued by a debt buyer, a company that bought your defaulted account, often for a few cents on the dollar, along with thousands of others in a bulk sale.
To win, a debt buyer has to prove two things with admissible evidence: that it actually owns your specific account, with an unbroken chain of assignment from the original creditor, and that the balance it claims is correct, with the account statements and the cardholder agreement. Because these accounts change hands in bulk with minimal records, the plaintiff’s paperwork is frequently incomplete.
Common defenses
The four-year statute of limitations. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.004, a suit on a consumer debt must be filed within four years of the date you defaulted or made your last payment. A suit filed after that is barred, but only if you raise the limitations defense in your answer. Do not make a payment or sign anything acknowledging the debt before you get advice, because that can restart the clock.
Failure to prove the debt. The plaintiff must connect itself to your account and prove the amount with real records, not a summary spreadsheet.
Wrong amount. Post-charge-off interest and fees are often added without a contractual basis.
Not your account. Identity theft, a billing error, or a mix-up with someone of a similar name.
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act violations. If the collector sued in the wrong precinct, misstated the amount, or used abusive tactics, you may have counterclaims under 15 U.S.C. section 1692.
When bankruptcy is the better tool
If this is your only debt problem and the case has real defenses, defending the lawsuit is usually the right move. But if you are facing several suits, a wage garnishment, or a judgment that has already been entered, a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy triggers the automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. section 362 the moment it is filed. The stay stops every collection lawsuit and garnishment at once, and the underlying debt is usually dischargeable. Filing before a judgment is entered keeps things cleaner.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to answer a debt lawsuit in Collin County? Fourteen days from the date you were served, if the case is in Justice of the Peace court. If the 14th day is a weekend or holiday, you have until the next business day. Cases in the County Courts at Law have a longer deadline, the Monday after 20 days have passed.
What if I already missed the deadline? Contact an attorney immediately. If a default judgment has not yet been entered, you may still be able to file a late answer. If one has been entered, there is a limited window to ask the court to set it aside.
Can they take money from my bank account in Texas? Texas protects most wages from garnishment for consumer debt, but once wages are deposited, a judgment creditor can freeze and levy the account. A judgment can also become a lien on non-homestead real estate.
Do I need to go to court? If you file an answer, the court sets the case for trial or a pretrial hearing. An attorney can appear for you and, in many cases, resolve the matter before trial.
OCR Legal, PLLC represents Collin County residents, not creditors, in debt-collection lawsuits, bankruptcy, and eviction defense. The first consultation is free, in English or Spanish. Call or text (469) 389-8877.
Last updated: September 2026. This article is general information about Texas law, not legal advice for any particular situation. By Omar Colon, OCR Legal, PLLC.