I got the voicemail today stating a formal complant was filed againt me. They also stated the case number and county (phone number and contact name) I tried to call back- no answer so I left a voicemail. This is from a county that is over 4 hours away (didn't know that until I googled it) Never been there or know of anyone from there. (there being Washing County, Ohio) I called the courthouse and they have no record of the case number that was givin to me AND my information is not in their system. Is this a scam call or should I be ready to go to court? Also what does it mean "Formal Complant" againt me??
A formal complaint in court means that someone filed a complaint alleging some civil action i.e. breach of contract or tort. In order to file a complaint the plaintiff files a document in court of proper jurisdiction. The plaintiff is then required to serve you or make reasonable efforts under Ohio law to serve you with a copy of the complaint. You indicated you called the court. It is possible that a complaint exists but you called the wrong court. Most county's have multiple courts depending on the type of case. People do not typically call to let you know that a complaint has been filed. This sounds like a scam to me but it is possible and there isn't a good way to find out.
This sounds like some kind of scam. The best way to find out for sure is by doing exactly what you did, call the courthouse. The courthouse and clerk's contact info is at www.OhioCourtLinks.com, just look for the link to Washington County Common Pleas Court. If it is a "real" complaint then you will likely get a copy by certified mail so be sure to accept it and then immediately go talk to a lawyer about it. If it is real, you will only have 28 days after receipt to file something in court or you will lose the case, so don't waste your time. If it is a scam then they will probably call you back. Try to avoid the call. If you pick it up, no matter what they say, tell them to mail the complaint to you and you'll look at it. Don't agree to anything and try not to say anything other than just "mail it to me." If it is a scam you can expect that they will try to get a credit card payment out of you. Don't fall for it. They may want to do an electronic funds transfer. Don't do it. Make them mail it to you so you can see that it is real (or not). If it is a scam, they won't mail it to you. If it is real, you need to see an attorney asap. If this answer was helpful, please give it a Vote Up review below. And be sure to mark which answer you get is the one that you think is the best so we can all be sure we are doing good work here. Thanks and good luck.
It sounds like a scam. Even if it's not, you have to be formally served with the lawsuit, which means either by certified mail or process server, and nothing can happen until you're served. If you are served---and again this sounds like a scam if you've already called the clerk of courts---do not delay. You'll need to contact a lawyer immediately in order to file an answer to the suit.
