I owe an outstanding balance with American express around $71,000.00 I believe an attorney is trying to summons me. What do I do

You need to call the attorney right away and attempt to settle the debt if you do not want a judgment against you. Often creditors will settle for a lower lump sum payment or monthly payments. Make sure you get the agreement in writing before a payment is made. This is very important!

You should contact American Express and/or the attorney and talk to them about setting up a payment plan if you are able to do so. If you do nothing they will likely sue you, get a judgment, and then try to collect by garnishing bank accounts, etc.

If you receive the summons, be sure to respond to the summons in writing even if you believe the summons to be accurate. It would be worthwhile to retain a local consumer/defense attorney to represent you. When settling a debt, a lump sum of cash will always be more persuasive than easy monthly payments. Hope this perspective helps!