Sued by Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, P.C. in Texas

If the signature block on your petition reads Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, P.C., a lender has hired a Dallas law firm to sue you. Unlike firms that do nothing but collections, this one runs a broad business litigation practice, and consumer debt suits are one part of its banking and creditor's rights work. This guide explains what the firm is, the older names you may see on your papers, how to confirm the case, and what to do before your deadline.

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Who Waddell Serafino Is

The firm's website describes a practice that manages litigation in state and federal courts and negotiates business transactions. Its practice list runs from construction, real estate and school law to surety, transportation and probate. The part that matters to you is the group it calls Banking, Commercial Lending, and Creditor's Rights. There the firm says its clients include financial institutions in Texas and national and international banking associations, plus clients that bought credit instruments in bulk sales. It lists "loan collection litigation" among its services and says it handles hundreds of loan-related matters a year statewide. The page carries the notice "This firm is a debt collector."

The firm does not publish a client list on that page, and we don't guess at one. Your petition names the actual plaintiff. That company, not the law firm, is the party suing you.

Texas Debt Law is not affiliated with Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, P.C.

The Names You May See

The firm has used more than one name, which can make an older letter look like it came from a different company:

• Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, P.C. is the current name. The Texas Comptroller's franchise tax records list it as a Texas professional corporation at 1717 Main St., Floor 25, Dallas, with a Secretary of State charter date of January 24, 2007.
• Vincent Serafino Geary Waddell Jenevein, PC appears as Wells Fargo's trial counsel in the appellant's brief in Aguilar v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. (filed October 2021), while the bank's own brief in the same appeal, filed two months later, uses the current name.
• Vincent Lopez Serafino Jenevein, P.C. is the name on the debt collector bond described below, and it still appears in the address of the firm's LinkedIn link on its website.

When you search a court docket, try "Serafino" alone so every version turns up.

Its Texas Presence

• Offices. The firm's website lists a Dallas office at 1717 Main Street, 25th Floor, Dallas, TX 75201, phone (214) 979-7400, and a Houston office reachable at (281) 934-7678. It also lists offices in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
• Debt collector bond. Texas Finance Code Section 392.101 requires third-party debt collectors to file a surety bond with the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State's debt collector search shows an active bond for Vincent Lopez Serafino Jenevein, P.C., 1601 Elm Street, Suite 4100, Dallas (file number 20140289, filed December 1, 2014). An earlier bond under the name Vincent Lopes Serafino Jenevein PC, with the same (214) 979-7400 phone number the firm uses today, was filed in 2009 and cancelled in 2015.
• Texas courts. Published appellate records show the firm's lawyers suing individual cardholders in Texas district courts, discussed next.

A Published Case Involving the Firm

In Aguilar v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 02-21-00259-CV (Tex. App.—Fort Worth Aug. 4, 2022) (mem. op.), the court described the case as "a consumer credit card breach of contract suit" filed in Tarrant County's 348th District Court. The bank's appellate brief was signed by Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, P.C. The trial court had granted summary judgment for the bank. An earlier appeal affirmed that judgment except for appellate attorney's fees and sent the case back on that one issue. On remand, the bank's lawyer testified that the bank incurred $4,056 in appellate fees. The Fort Worth court held the trial court did not err in admitting that testimony, because the lawyer had been properly disclosed as an expert on fees, and the cardholder had not objected to the billing record showing the same amount. It affirmed.

Two practical points come out of that opinion. First, these cases can be decided on paper through summary judgment. Second, a request for attorney's fees can add to the amount at stake, including fees for any appeal. The decision says nothing about the facts of your case.

Check That the Lawsuit Is Real

1. Find the court and cause number on your citation and look the case up on that county's official records site, or call the clerk using a number from the county's website.
2. If you want to reach the firm, use the number on its official website, (214) 979-7400, not a number from an unexpected text or email.
3. Note whether the citation says justice court, county court at law or district court. That decides your deadline.

Don't send payment or bank details to anyone until the case checks out.

Your Answer Deadline

The published case above was filed in district court, but claims of $20,000 or less can also be filed in justice court. Your citation tells you which one you are in.

• County or district court: your written answer is due by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after 20 days have passed since you were served (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 99(b)).
• Justice court (claims up to $20,000, Government Code Section 27.031): your answer is due by the end of the 14th day after service (Rule 502.5).

Our answer deadline calculator does the counting. A phone call or letter to the firm does not extend it.

What the Bank Has to Prove

A breach of contract claim on a credit card or loan generally requires the plaintiff to show a valid agreement, that you are the person bound by it, that you defaulted, and the amount owed after every payment and credit. If the plaintiff bought the account rather than issued it, it must also prove it owns your specific account. In Aguilar the bank's proof included a cardholder agreement and account records. In your case, a lawyer will look at whether the records are complete, whether the affidavit that introduces them meets the business records rules, and whether the numbers add up.

Defenses and Pressure Points

• Summary judgment deadlines. In county and district court, for motions filed on or after March 1, 2026, your response is due 21 days after the motion is filed (Rule 166a). Missing it can end the case. See our summary judgment Q&A and our update on the new deadline.
• Limitations. Texas allows four years to sue on a debt (Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.004). A debt buyer cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt at all (Finance Code Section 392.307).
• Attorney's fees. Texas law lets a party that wins a contract claim recover reasonable attorney's fees (Civil Practice and Remedies Code chapter 38), but the amount must be proved. A lawyer can contest an unsupported fee request.
• Amount and identity. Missing payments, unexplained charges, an account you never opened, or identity theft all matter.

Business Loans and Personal Guarantees

Since this firm also handles commercial lending, some readers are sued over a business loan or line of credit. If you signed a personal guarantee, the lender can sue you individually as well as the business. A company generally must appear through a licensed attorney in county and district court. The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act covers consumer debts only, so its protections described below do not apply to a purely business debt.

Your Rights as a Consumer

A law firm that regularly collects consumer debts, including by suing, is generally a "debt collector" under the FDCPA (Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)). For a consumer debt, that means you may dispute the debt in writing within the 30-day window in the validation notice (15 U.S.C. § 1692g), the firm may not use false or misleading statements (§ 1692e), and once it knows you have a lawyer it generally must deal with your lawyer instead of you (§ 1692c(a)(2)). A claim that a collector broke these rules is a separate federal lawsuit, not part of your defense, and it is a separate service; see our FDCPA attorneys page.

How Texas Debt Law Can Help

We defend Texans in consumer debt suits in justice, county and district courts across the state. If your case is in Dallas County, our Dallas page covers the local courts; for Tarrant County, see our Fort Worth page. We confirm your deadline, file your answer, answer any summary judgment motion on time, test the plaintiff's proof and fee claim, and negotiate when that serves you. If a judgment has already been entered, we handle post-judgment matters for the same flat fees. Phones are answered seven days a week, we speak Spanish, and payment plans are available.

Call or text (214) 945-0000 with a photo of your citation and petition. Every case turns on its own facts, and we can't predict a result.

Sources

• Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, P.C.: Home page and office phone numbers
• Waddell Serafino: Banking, Commercial Lending, and Creditor's Rights
• Waddell Serafino: Dallas office
• Texas Comptroller: Active Franchise Tax Permit Holders (Waddell Serafino Geary Rechner Jenevein, PC)
• Texas Secretary of State: Debt Collector Search (search "Serafino")
• Second Court of Appeals: Aguilar v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., No. 02-21-00259-CV (docket, briefs and opinion)
• Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code chapter 38 (attorney's fees)
• Texas Finance Code chapter 392 (Texas Debt Collection Act)
• Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (Texas Judicial Branch)
• Heintz v. Jenkins, 514 U.S. 291 (1995)
• 15 U.S.C. § 1692g (validation of debts)

General information, not legal advice for your case.