Putting my disagreement on the record

First-person recollection. Recorded October 2, 2026; edited for clarity. Event dates identify the period being remembered.

Archive 001 · Journal Entry Two
Event anchor: May 12, 2026 — my first answer
Recorded: October 2, 2026

After the papers were delivered on April 17, I had a summons telling me I had 30 days to respond. I don't remember exactly when I first looked at it. It said that if I didn't respond, judgment by default would be taken against me.

I was confused. I didn't understand what was taking place, because parts of the papers they had served on me were clearly not true from what I knew.

Initially, I thought maybe there was an honest explanation. Maybe somebody had made a mistake. But they were saying three vehicles had been repossessed on June 27, 2025. I knew for a fact that two hadn't been repossessed.

The third vehicle was different. It had been at a dealership in Baxley awaiting mechanical service. Three fuel injectors were bad, and I had been dealing with the warranty company. I wasn't sure what had happened to that vehicle.

I called the dealership. The person I spoke with said he had the keys but hadn't seen the vehicle. It's a fairly large dealership. I was thinking, well, where could my vehicle be? My impression was that he seemed nervous and didn't really want to discuss it. I'll leave his name out of this account.

When I realized I had 30 days to respond, I contacted a friend with experience in banking and explained what was going on. That conversation helped me begin understanding how collateral was supposed to be handled.

I had to do something. So I prepared a one-page answer. I said certain vehicles had never been repossessed, accepted, or disposed of, even though I had attempted to surrender them. I disputed the accounting and asked for proof of repossession, sale, sale proceeds, and how those proceeds had been credited.

I didn't know how any of the process worked. I don't have a background in it. I had to figure out how to prepare an answer, print it, make copies, sign it, and take it to the courthouse to have it stamped by the clerk.

Then I had to serve the attorney. I didn't even know how to send certified mail with a return receipt. I had to learn that, too.

You get pulled into a fairly serious process whether you want to participate or not. What I understood was that if I didn't answer, they could obtain a default judgment against me. That was why I had to respond.

There's way more to the story than that. But that's how I put my disagreement on the record the first time.

Documents and dates

The summons was filed March 25, 2026, at 3:55 p.m. It directed an answer within 30 days after service, excluding the day of service. The first answer bears a May 12, 2026, 8:55 a.m. filing stamp. The account of the dealership and the banking conversation is Gregory's recollection, not a court finding.

• Defendant's first answer
• Original complaint

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