Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Virginia

Re: Summons to Answer Interogatories

As Mr. Hendrickson pointed out, you have no reason to think you're going to jail unless you don't show up and answer the questions.

But what it means, is that the loan company has obtained a judgment against you for some amount of money. Whether or not they reserve a lien on the car has nothing to do with whether you have to repay the loan. It sounds like you didn't get notice that you were being sued, and that's a potentially serious problem (for the loan company). It often happens that when people get judgments like that, it's for the wrong amount. If the first time you got any notice of the suit was by the service of judgment debtor interrogatories, that tells me that the loan company knew where you were but got a judgment against you without your knowing you were being sued. That's a big no-no.

I'd be interested in hearing more about that.

Re: Summons to Answer Interogatories

The summons you have received to answer interrogatories(questions from the loan company's attorney) requires you to appear in court for a hearing to answer questions regarding the location of any assets that you may have which could be used to pay the delinguent loan and whether you have made efforts to secrete such assets or in other ways frustrate the loan company's attempts to collect what it is legally owed.

Unless you egregiously perjure yourself at this hearing and are consequently found guilty of criminal contempt of court, you need not worry about spending any time in the slammer.

In other words, simply answer the questions truthfully.