N.Y. Civil Practice Law and Rules 306-D – Additional mailing of notice in an action arising out of a consumer credit transaction
§ 306-d. Additional mailing of notice in an action arising out of a consumer credit transaction. (a) At the time of filing with the clerk of the proof of service of the summons and complaint in an action arising out of a consumer credit transaction, the plaintiff shall submit to the clerk a stamped, unsealed envelope addressed to the defendant together with a written notice in clear type of no less than twelve-point in size, in both English and Spanish, and containing the following language:
Terms Used In N.Y. Civil Practice Law and Rules 306-D
- Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Credit Score: A number, roughly between 300 and 800, that measures an individual's credit worthiness. The most well-known type of credit score is the FICO score. This score represents the answer from a mathematical formula that assigns numerical values to various pieces of information in your credit report. Source: OCC
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Lawsuit: A legal action started by a plaintiff against a defendant based on a complaint that the defendant failed to perform a legal duty, resulting in harm to the plaintiff.
- Personal property: All property that is not real property.
- Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
- Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
- Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
ADDITIONAL NOTICE OF LAWSUIT (NAME OF COURT) (COUNTY) (STREET ADDRESS, ROOM NUMBER) (CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE) (NAME OF DEFENDANT) (ADDRESS OF DEFENDANT) Plaintiff: Defendant: Name of original creditor, unless same: Index number: Attention: a lawsuit has been filed against you claiming that you owe money for an unpaid consumer debt. You may wish to contact an attorney.
You should respond to the lawsuit as soon as possible by filing an "answer" which may be done at the court clerk's office listed above.
If you do not respond to the lawsuit, the court may enter a money judgment against you. Once entered, a judgment is good and can be used against you for twenty years, and your personal property and money, including a portion of your paycheck and/or bank account, may be taken from you. Also, a judgment may affect your credit score and can affect your ability to rent a home, find a job, or take out a loan. You CANNOT be arrested or sent to jail for owing a debt. Additional information can be found at the New York state court system website. Sources of information and assistance: The court encourages you to inform yourself about your options as a defendant in this lawsuit. In addition to seeking assistance from a private attorney or legal aid office, there are free legal assistance computer programs that you can use online to help you represent yourself in this lawsuit. For further information, or to locate a legal aid program near you, you may visit the LawHelpNY website or the New York state court system website, which has information for representing yourself and links to other resources at: ___________________.
(b) The face of the envelope shall be addressed to the defendant at the address at which process was served, and shall contain the defendant's name, address (including apartment number) and zip code. The face of the envelope also shall state the appropriate clerk's office as its return address.
(c) The clerk promptly shall mail to the defendant the envelope containing the additional notice set forth in subdivision (a) of this section. No default judgment based on the defendant's failure to answer shall be entered unless there has been compliance with this section, and at least twenty days have elapsed from the date of mailing by the clerk. No default judgment based on the defendant's failure to answer shall be entered if the additional notice is returned to the court as undeliverable. Receipt of the additional notice by the defendant does not confer jurisdiction on the court in the absence of proper service of process.
(d) The chief administrative judge shall issue a Spanish translation of the notice in subdivision (a) of this section and shall maintain and publish the URL address for the web page containing consumer resources for unrepresented litigants.