Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Florida

I am in desperate need of some assistance with a legal matter in Orlando, FL. It started as a small claims suit, but is now up to $8,000 so I�m not sure if it is still small claims. In 2004 I signed a contract for Tae Kwon Do lessons for my son. I was then let go from my job and then had to flee to NY because of domestic violence from my husband at the time. I returned to FL, and was sued in 2007 for this contract. With interest, this $3,000 contract was up to $6,000 I believe. Being a single mom (their dad is still incarcerated), I could not afford an attorney or to take the day off of work to go to court. Their attorney told me I could sign a stipulation and agree to make small monthly payments, and then make a settlement at a later time. Last year I could no longer afford to make payments. I asked the attorney if they would settle for what I already paid and asked the owner if he would settle or if I could do some work for his business to settle the debt. I did not get a response from any of them, so I thought he let it go. That was last year, and just yesterday I got notice that they filed a final judgment against me for over $8,000. This is incredible to me. My son didn�t attend the school, they kept all of his equipment, but I know I signed the contract to I tried to make it right. They chose to ignore me. Is there anything I can do? Can I appeal? Can I say I was under duress when I signed the stipulation? I do not have $8,000, and I don�t want this to hang over my head for the next 20 years and end up being $50,000. Please help me. Thank you.

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