A service that started in Utah to help individuals respond to debt collection lawsuits yesterday announced it would now be available nationwide as it seeks to win $50,000 in a technology competition.
AccountsRecovery.net first wrote about SoloSuit back in 2018, when a group of students at Brigham Young University launched the idea, which allowed users to craft a response to a debt collection lawsuit without having to hire an attorney, in about 10 minutes.
Since then, the service has been used by more than 3,000 individuals in Utah, about 50% of which have been able to get the lawsuits filed against them dismissed, the company claims. A demo of how it works is available by clicking here.
Now, the service will be available nationwide. Users can access information for free, can pay $15 to have their response printed and mailed on their behalf, or pay $115 to have the response reviewed by an attorney.
The company is currently competing in TechCrunch’s Disrupt Startup Battlefield event, where it has progressed to the semifinals. The winner of the event will take home $50,000, plus a lot of publicity and access to more funding, if needed.
“SoloSuit is closing the justice gap. People need our help to protect them from predatory debt sharks coming after them for inflated debts,” said George Simons, founder and CEO of SoloSuit, in a statement. “SoloSuit is designed to serve the underserved, and we are excited to have the opportunity during TechCrunch Startup Battlefield to demonstrate how our online resource is making the law more accessible to a greater number of people.”
In many cases, collectors and creditors are able to obtain default judgments when suing individuals because they do not respond to the lawsuit or appear for the hearing. SoloSuit claims that 90% of debt collection lawsuits end up with a default judgment, and is now aiming to reduce that figure.