Court Summons from another state
I recently moved to NC in 2006 from OHIO. My ex-wife just sent me a summons regarding a student loan my ex-father-in-law co-signed for me. The amount has ballooned from $5000.00 to $11,000.00 due to interest charged. The company has hired an attorney to get their money. The loan was taken out in 2001 and until now, I have never heard from them regarding my payments or payment arrangements. The company has since changed their name to another company. On top of everything else. I must file a response to the clerk of court in Ohio in 8 days or I could lose the case. I cannot get to Ohio to do this. The attorney also wants a response which I will send to him. There is no way I will be able to pay this large amount of money.
What do I need to do if I cannot get to Ohio to file a response with the clerk of courts?
How can I prevent a judgement from being issued against me? Would it be best to just file bankruptcy and start all over again?
Thanks,
KM