No...you can never go to jail over credit card debt in this nation. If they win a judgement they may be able to garnish your wages or freeze your checking accounts.
On the court date, DO NOT be a no-show under any circumstances whatsoever. People often make the HUGE mistake of not showing up because they think they’d loose anyway or because they can’t afford an attorney. Not showing up is the worst thing you can possibly do. Even if you are frightened....or you're sick with a 102 degree fever...or if you think that you'd loose, show up anyway! If you don't, the other side will get a default judgement and they will get this on THEIR terms. They will tack on all sorts of add-on fees and the amount of the judgment could end up being two or three times the actual amount of the debt. Not showing up can lead to maximum allowable wage garnishment...which can be as high as 25% of your wages. By showing up you can almost always negotiate a better repayment plan.
IMPORTANT: bring complete documentation of your income and living expenses: Pay stubs and copies of bills. Even if you loose, you can use this to negotiate much more favorable repayment terms. Request the following info from the other side on the court date:
- a copy of the original application with your signature
- a fully itemized statement for the amount they are asking which clearly details how this amount was calculated, including the interest rate being charged - How much was this debt purchased for?
My complete answer for how to deal with being sued for credit card debt is at:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090806101155AAtqVxu
