For people who just got served

You were sued over a debt. You are not out of options, and you have not lost.

Most debt lawsuits are won by default, because nobody responded. Filing a written Answer lets you deny the allegations and demand that the company suing you prove it owns the account, prove the amount, and produce the paperwork. We teach you every step and build the documents with you.

Start your response Get the free starter kit

Deadline first

Know your date today

Editable Word files

Court-ready formatting

No legal background

Every term explained

“The company suing you bought your account in a spreadsheet of thousands. Ask it to prove that this account, in this amount, belongs to it.”

The idea the whole toolkit is built on

$47: One-time, per kit
0: Accounts to create
12+: Documents generated

Who is suing you?

Look at the top of your papers. The name on the left of "vs." is the plaintiff. Pick yours — it takes about 60 seconds.

Midland Credit Management / Encore Capital Group LVNV Funding LLC Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC Unifund CCR, LLC Jefferson Capital Systems, LLC Absolute Resolutions Investments, LLC Crown Asset Management, LLC Credit Corp Solutions, Inc.Cavalry SPV I, LLC Velocity Investments, LLC

Or a bank / card company is suing

Capital One Synchrony Bank Citibank Discover American Express Chase Bank of America Wells Fargo See all banks →

My bank or lender is not listed above My wages are being garnished / there is already a judgment

Educational information and document preparation only. Make Them Prove It is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Rules and deadlines differ by state and by court, so confirm them with your court clerk or a licensed attorney in your state.

14 days of free email support

Ask us anything after you buy

One payment of $47

No subscription, no renewals

Editable Word + PDF

Yours to keep and change

No account needed

Nothing to sign up for

Which one is you right now?

Pick the sentence that sounds like your week. Each one goes straight to the right step.

Just got served

Papers were handed to me or left at my door

You usually have 20 to 30 days to file a written Answer. Start there and the case cannot be decided without you.

Find my deadline Money is missing

My paycheck is short or my account was frozen

That means a judgment already exists. You can ask the court to reopen it and protect income that cannot legally be taken.

Judgment and garnishment help Not sure yet

I do not understand anything I was handed

Get the free starter kit. It walks the papers line by line and tells you the one date that matters, with nothing to buy.

Get the free kit

A default judgment is not a verdict. It is a missed deadline.

They rarely have the file

In the debt-buying industry, accounts are often sold in bulk data files. The original signed agreement, the full statement history, and a clean chain of assignments are frequently not part of that sale.

Responding changes the math

An answered case has to be proven with admissible documents and a witness who can lay the foundation for them. That is a different case than an unanswered one.

You do not need to be a lawyer

You need the right paper, filed on time, in the right court. That is what this site teaches and what the kit assembles.

Late is not over

If a judgment already exists, there is a separate track: ask the court to reopen it, and claim your exempt income while you do.

How the toolkit works

One question per screen, in order, with an explanation of why each answer matters. Your progress saves as you go, and nothing requires an account.

1
Find your deadline
Enter your state, court, and the date you were served. We show the date your written response is due and what happens if it passes.
2
Learn what you are holding
We walk your summons and complaint paragraph by paragraph, and explain who the plaintiff actually is and how they got your account.
3
Choose your defenses
Each defense is explained with when it applies and what defeats it, so you raise the ones that fit your facts rather than a wall of boilerplate.
4
Download and file
Editable Word documents plus print-ready PDFs: Answer, affirmative defenses, discovery requests, certificate of service, and a filing checklist.

What is in the $47 kit

One-time purchase. Every document is generated from your answers, in editable Word format so you can adjust anything before filing, plus a print-ready PDF.

Answer to Complaint with numbered responses to every allegation
Affirmative defenses selected to match your facts
Requests for production targeting the ownership documents
Interrogatories and requests for admission
Certificate of service for every document
Debt validation and credit bureau dispute letters
Settlement letter template with terms that protect you
Filing checklist and a deadline calendar for your state

Start your response See pricing

The question nobody asks them

A debt buyer purchases charged-off accounts in bulk, thousands at a time, for a fraction of the balance. What it usually receives is a spreadsheet row: your name, a number, and an amount. Not your signed agreement. Not your statements. Not an itemized balance.

Produce the document, created by the original creditor, that names my account number and shows it was included in the sale you are relying on.

You do not have to prove you owe nothing. The company that filed the case carries the burden of proof. Your job is to require them to carry it.

Learn how debts get sold and resold

Already have a judgment

Your paycheck came up short and you never knew about a case

A default judgment was entered because nobody responded, not because a judge weighed evidence. There are two separate things you can do, and you can do both at the same time: ask the court to reopen the case, and file to protect exempt income right now.

Default judgment help How garnishment limits work

Your three realistic options

Hiring a lawyer is the strongest option if you can afford it. This is what the choice actually looks like when you cannot.

	Do nothing	Make Them Prove It	Hire an attorney
Cost	$0	$47 one time	$1,500 – $5,000+
Who does the work	Nobody	You, guided step by step	An attorney
Deadline handled	Missed	Calculated for your state	Handled for you
Likely result	Default judgment, then garnishment	A filed Answer they must respond to	Representation through the case
Support	None	14 days of free email support	Your attorney

What using it actually looks like

These are illustrative walkthroughs written to show the process, not customer testimonials and not predictions about your case.

Example: served by a debt buyer

1Papers arrive naming a company she has never heard of, for $3,180.
2She enters her state and the date she was served and gets a filing deadline.
3She answers each numbered paragraph and requests the bill of sale and account schedule.

She files an Answer before the deadline, so the case cannot be decided without her.

Example: garnishment out of nowhere

1His paycheck is short and HR mentions a court order.
2He learns a default judgment was entered at an address he moved out of two years ago.
3He builds a motion to vacate, a sworn declaration, and a claim of exempt income.

He files both, so the court is asked to reopen the case while his exemption is pending.

Example: sued by the original bank

1The plaintiff is the card issuer itself, not a buyer, so ownership is not the weak point.
2The kit shifts to the itemized balance, fees, and the arbitration clause in the agreement.
3He requests statements and the agreement he supposedly signed.

He answers on time with defenses that fit an original creditor case.

14 days of free email support, included with every kit

For two full weeks after you buy, you can email us as many times as you need. Stuck on a question in the builder, unsure which box on the form is the case number, not sure where your clerk wants the filing dropped off — send it over and a real person answers.

Unlimited emails for 14 days
Answers in one business day, usually faster
Help finding your court, clerk, and filing fee
Help spotting typos, missing fields, and formatting issues

Support is general, educational help with using the toolkit and your documents. It is provided by non-attorney staff, it is not legal advice, and no outcome is promised. We do not tell you which defenses to raise, whether to settle, or what a judge is likely to do.

People who used the toolkit

These are illustrative examples based on common situations. They are not guaranteed results and your case will depend on your facts, court, and deadlines.

I was served on a Friday and had no idea what an Answer even was. The toolkit walked me through each paragraph, and I filed on Monday morning.

Served by a debt buyer

Filed a timely written response

My wages started getting garnished for a case I never knew about. The judgment kit helped me request the file and ask the court to reopen it.

Default judgment discovered through garnishment

Submitted a motion to vacate and exemption claim

I was embarrassed and overwhelmed. Being able to read the lesson first, then answer one question at a time, made it feel possible.

First-time defendant

Completed the response documents and filed pro se

We collect real customer feedback only with written permission. If you have a story you would like to share, email us after your purchase.

Questions people ask before they start

I have never been to court. Can I really do this?: Yes. You are not arguing a trial. You are filing one written document on time, and the toolkit writes it with you, one question per screen.
What exactly do I get for $47?: Your full document set in editable Word and print-ready PDF, a filing checklist, a deadline for your state, and 14 days of free email support.
Are you lawyers?: No. We are an education and document preparation service. Nothing here is legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is created.
What if my deadline is in two days?: Start now and file what you have. A filed Answer that is imperfect beats a perfect one that arrives late.
Do I have to create an account?: No. Your answers stay on your own device while you work, and your documents download straight to you.
Can I get a refund?: No. Because the documents download immediately, all sales are final and no outcome is guaranteed. You confirm this at checkout.

Start your response Get the free starter kit

Learn it before you file it

Free, no email required. Written for someone who has never seen a courtroom.

All lessons →

Start here · 8 min