<prompt> Human: Good evening rpersonalfinance. Ive had a hell of a night, and after frantically searching for answers, and not being able to sleep, I have to make a post.BackstorySeveral years ago I opened a credit card, back in my teens, to the urging of my mother. The limit was 7500 dollars, and I hit that limit.Ive since moved to a different state, and have been trying to get back on my feet. For a long time I was making payments on my card, usually at a minimum of 200 dollars, and of course as we all know, minimum never makes the debt smaller, but I didnt want to default on payments. After 2 years, I lost the contract on my job, and money stopped coming in. For several months I was jobless, looking for absolutely ANYTHING that I could make money off of.I was able to pick up a job a couple months later that wasnt exactly stable work, but was better than nothing. By that time though, I had received letters from the bank credit card was through them, and eventually a debt collector. Of course since I wasnt making stable money, I couldnt pay them, and partly because of never being taught properstupidity and naivety, I never answered them back, save for one instance where I thought to offer them a small payment, which they would not take, and therefore I didnt make.Several months went by, new jobs were had, and now, after several months and some bumpy times and some budgeting software, Im able to see the light. I just went through surgery this past week, but will be able save upwards of 300 dollars a month, which is necessary so that I can move out in February of next year to a much cheaper option, with the one I love.Now, for the fun part. After visiting my girlfriends apartment tonight whom I lived with for less than a year, her roommate showed me some papers he received 2 days after my surgery, saying he had not read them. Summons papers.The debt has been passed on to what appears to be a lawyer, and from what I can gather with my limited vocabulary, I am to be sued for the full amount, 7,700 dollars, and upon winning the case, will have to pay the full amount, court costs, and what I think it saying an annual 12 for every month not paid in full?Im not saying that Ive made smart choices. Im not saying that Im the brightest, or that I dont deserve this, or that Im looking to trick anyone. Im just asking, how do I deal with this. A few facts and questions follow: The summons says that the date is for September 17th, but was received by the roommate on September 25th at the absolute earliest. It states that I have 20 days from service of this summons. Am I correct that this only gives me a couple days? Is the summons even legal, being that it wasnt presented to me, or even at my home? The plan was originally to have anywhere from 100 to 300 dollars to save per month, whether it go into savings or to go straight to the collectors, as debt has probably got to be the worst feeling in the world. Is something like this still an option for me? On the complaint for monies, it states the defendant is believed to be a married individual and as such incurred the below-referenced separate and community obligation. Ive never been married in my life. This isnt somehow inferring that my girlfriend is associated in my debt, and is somehow responsible, is it? I apologize if this is fairly clear, but Im in a bit of a haze, and feeling the worlds biggest adrenaline rush of nerves and knots. I hear talks from a lot of people about settlements for a smaller amount. A smaller amount would be a godsend, but I dont have any money in the bank at all at the moment. I can think of one close friend that MIGHT be able to help me, but the idea of putting any strain on a personal relationship kills me. Do these settlements have to be paid in full, or are there payment options?Right now the current plan, as it stands, is to call my father in the morning and ask his opinions, as he has dealt with debt before, if I can swing it speak to a friend of mine who is a banker, and then take a long lunch to call the Agency appears to be a lawyers office that summoned me, and talk to them about my options about not going to court. But any help I can get before the fact would not only be appreciated, but a godsend.Thank you in advance, PersonalFinance.TL;DR: I received a summons today from several days ago for a credit card debt that I had planned to set up payments for, and am now in full panic mode. The bulletpoints hold my true questions, but the backstory may provide you with important information, Im not sure.  <response>: Law student here. Ive also worked for a collections agency. Ill take a look at what they sent you if youd like. 