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Consumer

A couple ends a debt collector's lawsuit

The company suing them could not show it owned the debt.

The questionWhat can you do when a company that bought an old debt sues you over it?

Halverin Law · Ohio
Published October 7, 2026 · Outcome July 8, 2026

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge has dismissed a debt-collection lawsuit against a local couple after the company suing them could not show it owned the debt.

The company had bought an old credit-card balance and sued for about $9,000 plus interest.

A judgment would have allowed the company to garnish the couple's wages.

Halverin Law filed an answer before the deadline and asked the company to produce the chain of ownership for the account. The paperwork it returned had gaps between the original lender and the buyer.

The case was dismissed with prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled.

The result turned on missing records specific to this account.

Consumer lawyers say many debt suits end in default judgments simply because no one responds. Answering by the deadline keeps the defense open.

About this story

Submitted by the firm. Source review: confirmed against public court records. See our publication standards.