I spend half of my time on this board trying to warn people about the dangers of debt consolidation firms for this very reason.

You’re going to have to deal with this on your own…they cannot provide legal representation for you. If you have the money, then try to settle directly with the firm that’s taking legal action. Be advised that attempting a settlement prior to court with the other side’s attorney is a very tricky thing to do, so be careful: The problem is that they will invariably want you to sign away your legal rights for any settlement agreement by signing a document that authorizes an instant judgment. DO NOT sign such an agreement or any agreement that waives your legal rights.
NEVER, EVER trust any “advise” they give you, regardless of how “nice” they might seem on the phone.

If you cannot reach a settlement, then you’re going to have to respond to this lawsuit on your own. Hire an attorney if you can afford one. If you can’t, respond to the summons and do not be a “no show” on the court date for any reason. Not showing up is the worst thing you can do.

I am with Cat Dad. We almost got into one and lucky I backed out in the end. (pissed them off) We landed up filing bankruptcy and in our case it was worth it(medical and credit cards) I would contact a lawyer. his first visit is usually free and he will guide you on how to deal with that company too. do you know if you have loans forgiven like 40% off, they can tax(IRS) you on it. They did not tell you that I bet.

If you are enrolled with Freedom Debt Relief, you should call their Legal Account Resolution Department at (800) 993-8950. This department is amazing – a team of people with experience & special training in handling legal issues involving creditors. You’ll be happy to know that, unlike a lot of companies, FDR does not rely on some “outsourced”, over-seas customer service center. When you call them, you will always get one of their in-house U.S. professionals!

I have called this number a few times (I have a family member in the program, so I thought I’d check them out) and was amazed at the level of knowledge and expertise they possess. They’re very polite as well – none of the “annoyed-to-be-talking-to-the-layman” you find with some legal types. I was also very pleased to get though to a real person in just seconds on every call! Very surprising, given the size of the company.

I did a little extra research and found out that Freedom Debt Relief has been named to several “Best Places to Work” lists by independent surveys conducted in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area (where they are headquartered) as well as in Phoenix (where they also have offices). This didn’t surprise me, because their employees’ job happiness is clearly evident over the phone. But I must say, I am impressed with a company that makes a “Best Places to Work” list in the San Francisco/Silicon Valley area. With the likes of Apple, Google, eBay, Craigslist, and Twitter all headquarter in the area as well, you know the bar to be among the “Best” is set pretty darn high.