Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in California

You will have to file a response with the court within 30 days. You can find a form answer at the Judicial Council website. However, you might have affirmative defenses, so you might want to consult with an attorney. You might have some defenses, including the running of the statute of limitation or it's not your debt, etc. If your financial circumstances are very strained, you can also consider filing for bankruptcy protection.

Unless the debt is more than four years old, or you have some other basis for contesting the debt, your options are pay now, pay more later, pay an attorney to delay things and pay a lot more later still, or file for bankruptcy if you qualify.