sued by citibank, now what do i do??

[jw5425]

What is the name of your state? MI

ok, long story short - my husband has been in the hospital almost as much as he's been home over the last 7 months and i don't have a full time job (except for taking care of him now that he's chronically ill). i work part time and am getting ready to start a second job, but we're barely able to keep the electricity on, let alone pay out $6500 to settle a credit card debt.
anyway - i received a summons from citibank today, now what do i do? there isn't any court date, all it says is that i have 21 days to respond.
what does that mean? how do i respond? is it too late to call the credit card company to make arrangements for payment?
please - any advice will be greatly appreciated.
thanks

 

[jherentals]

Evil Creditor

Hello......if you can't pay your electric, you have no business trying to pay a ruthless credit card company. See a lawyer right away (use the same credit card to pay the lawyer bill on the way out) and do exactly what they recommend. You may not like their advice, but take it. Creditors, especially unsecured credit card companies, have no right to make your life miserable or to threaten you during hard times. You'll probably have to work an agreed settlement or bankrupt, but anything is better than letting the stress of the debt bother you. Best wishes, and remember that you have rights as a debtor, including the right to not pay creditors who are unsecured, so do what your attorney suggests.