I am planning to call the legal hotline or advice line or whatever it is called, but I have not had much luck with them in other places. So I thought I might ask the legal eagles here ... not for advice but for information.
I live in Oklahoma. I moved here about four years ago after a major illness and hospitalization. I have not really worked since then so I took early retirement and SS so I could have some income -- it is not much but enough to almost survive if nothing else goes wrong and as long as my daughter helps me. Needless to say, I stopped paying my credit cards but not my parent loans.
About two years ago, the local lawyers who bought my credit card account took me to court to establish that it was in fact my account. I was dumb and claimed the account but stated my circumstances. It did not make a difference. Then last year, they took me to court to establish a payment schedule. I gave the lawyer my budget and all the paperwork that the court required ... but I was/am running a deficit budget. He got angry, flung my papers back at me saying that I was not helpful and walked out.
In July, I got a notice from my bank that they had taken out $20 for garnishment ... so I thought that was going to be my payment schedule until I died since I certainly was not going to pay it off at $20 a month. I later got a letter from the bank saying that the lawyer had tried to garnish my account for the full amount of the credit card debt (by now it is $5000+ because of interest and fees) but that the bank determined that I did not have the money in my account and that SS was not subject to garnishment.
This week, I got a letter from the lawyers saying that I need to set up a payment schedule or pay them in full, otherwise they would take the next legal step. The letter mentioned something about a lien against any legal property and bringing the case up every 5 years ... but all I have is 10 year old Toyta Camry and with my health the way it is, I figure I will be lucky to live another 10 years.
So ... my question is what is the next step? My daughter wants to tell them that I will pay them $50 a month just so they will leave me alone. I want to know what happens next. She will give me the money to pay them monthy, but I feel dirty even contemplating paying. It feels like giving the bully my lunch money or paying protection money to the mob. I need to know what they can legally do to me or to my daughter (with whom I live) so that I can decide what to do.
I don't think I have any good options. Being poor and in debt is a lonely, scary place even when you have people that love you and will help. Maybe especially when you have people that love and support you since I am scared that I will drag them down with me. Perhaps inappropriately, I keep hearing Waylon Jennigns and Willie Nelson singing Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowbys except that I keep dubbing poor where the song says cowbys.
Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be poor
They'll never stay home and they're always alone
Even with someone they love
Oh well ... you may as well get something out of this. Here is the link because I don't know how to embed.
http://www.youtube.com/...