Debt buyer

Sued by Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC? Don't ignore it.

A large debt buyer. Like other buyers, they have to prove they actually own your account.

Build my AnswerSee the whole process

Most courts give you 14 to 30 days to respond. If you do nothing, they win automatically.

Who is Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC?

Portfolio Recovery Associates is part of PRA Group and buys charged-off consumer accounts in portfolios. They are not the bank you originally dealt with.

They bought your debt, and that matters

A debt buyer has to prove it actually owns your specific account. That means an unbroken paper trail from the bank that opened it, all the way to them. This is where these cases most often fall apart, because the paperwork frequently does not exist in the form a court requires.

What tends to matter in these cases

  • Demand the complete chain of assignment from the original bank to them.
  • Their affidavits are typically signed by an employee who never handled your account.
  • Records created by the original bank are hearsay unless they can lay the proper foundation.
  • Check the date of your last payment against your state's time limit for suing.

What to do right now

  1. 1

    Find your deadline

    It counts from the day you were served, not the date on the paperwork. Write it on a calendar today.

  2. 2

    File an Answer

    This is the document that stops them winning by default and forces them to prove their case.

  3. 3

    Make them prove they own it

    Use discovery to demand the original agreement and the complete chain of ownership.

Build my AnswerSee the guides

Sued by someone else?

Midland Credit Management, Inc.LVNV Funding LLCCavalry SPV I, LLCJefferson Capital Systems, LLCAmerican Express National BankDiscover Bank

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