On this page
- Find the Case in Tarrant County's Records Search
- What the Petition Shows
- Answer Deadline
- Remote Hearings Differ by Precinct
- Filing Your Answer and Later Papers
- If the Case Is in a County Court at Law
- What LVNV Has to Prove
- Free Resources in Tarrant County
- Claims Against LVNV or Its Collectors
- How We Help in Tarrant County
- Sources
Tarrant County has eight justice courts, one judge per precinct, and they don't share a single approach to remote hearings. One court runs a weekly Zoom session for debt claim cases; another schedules everything in person but streams its hearings; another stopped approving Zoom requests in 2024. If LVNV Funding, LLC has sued you in Tarrant County, the precinct on your citation tells you not only where the court is but how it is likely to hear your case.
For LVNV itself, including its relationship with its servicer, its Texas bond and how a Texas appeals court treated its records, see our guide to being sued by LVNV Funding in Texas. Tarrant County's court locations, precinct map and resources are on our Fort Worth debt defense page.
Free Case Evaluation(214) 945-0000
Find the Case in Tarrant County's Records Search
The Tarrant County Clerk says case records and calendars for all County Courts at Law, Probate Courts and Justice of the Peace Courts can be viewed on the county's Records Search website. A Justice of the Peace Court 5 page explains how: select the court location, choose Case Records Search, and search by the full case number or by party name. Searching your own name is a quick way to confirm the case is real and to see the hearing date, if one has been set. The County Clerk's FAQ points to the same search for anyone asking whether a case has been filed against them.
Don't rely on a phone number from a letter. Use the number on the court's page or on your citation, and see how do I know if I've really been sued?
What the Petition Shows
Who is suing. LVNV's website says it outsources the management of its accounts to Resurgent Capital Services, and it directs inquiries to Resurgent. So the letters may have come from Resurgent or one of its collection agency partners, while the lawsuit is in LVNV's name. Whoever is named as plaintiff in the caption has to prove it owns the account.
The account history. In a justice court debt claim case, Rule 508.2 requires an assignee's petition to identify the original creditor, the account, the date of assignment and each prior holder. Compare those with your records, especially if the original creditor's name is unfamiliar. See why is a company I've never heard of suing me?
Who filed it. The signature block names LVNV's attorney, with a State Bar number and usually a firm. Our collection law firm guides cover many of the firms that appear on Texas petitions.
Answer Deadline
In justice court, file a written answer by the end of the 14th day after you were served (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 502.5). In a County Court at Law or district court, the answer is due by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after 20 days from service (Rule 99(b)). Our answer deadline calculator counts the days. Calling Resurgent does not change either date.
Remote Hearings Differ by Precinct
Rule 500.10 lets each justice court decide whether to allow or require remote appearances. Tarrant County's courts post different practices:
- Precinct 1 (1895 Courthouse, downtown Fort Worth) runs an E-Court docket with standing Zoom links, including a Debt Claim Prove-Up Session every Friday at 9:30 a.m. and a dismissal (DWOP) docket on Friday mornings for debt claims. Its hearing rules require exhibits no later than three business days before a hearing or trial and say it currently cannot accept video exhibits.
- Precinct 6 says all trials and hearings are scheduled as in-person settings, that a request to appear remotely must be in writing, and that its settings are streamed live on YouTube.
- Precinct 7 states that, effective April 1, 2024, Zoom requests will not be approved and all hearings are held in person. It also says, effective July 15, 2024, that it will not consider continuances or resets made within one business day of a hearing.
A "prove-up" is generally where a plaintiff asks the court to enter judgment on its evidence when the defendant hasn't answered. Filing a timely answer is what keeps an LVNV case off that path. If your court isn't listed above, check its page for current rules. Our update on remote-appearance rules explains the factors a judge weighs.
Filing Your Answer and Later Papers
Tarrant justice courts post e-filing options through eFileTexas.gov; Precinct 1 also offers Guide and File, which helps self-represented people prepare and file forms online. Precinct 7 notes that cases filed after 3:30 p.m. are accepted the next business day, and that appeals are not accepted through e-file. Send a copy of what you file to LVNV's attorney.
If the Case Is in a County Court at Law
A justice court can hear claims up to $20,000 (Gov't Code § 27.031). Larger LVNV claims, and some smaller ones, go to the civil County Courts at Law, whose records are kept by the County Clerk's Civil Division in Room 250 of the Old Courthouse, 100 West Weatherford Street, (817) 884-1101. The Clerk's FAQ gives three practical points:
- A self-represented party's response may be filed in person or by mail; attorneys must file electronically.
- The last digit of the case number matches the assigned court, which tells you whose court coordinator to call about hearing dates.
- Copies of documents are handled through the Clerk's central library at (817) 884-1069.
In county court, LVNV may move for summary judgment. For motions filed on or after March 1, 2026, a response is due 21 days after the motion is filed (Rule 166a). See what is a motion for summary judgment?
What LVNV Has to Prove
LVNV must show that the account was yours, that you defaulted, the correct balance after all credits, and that it owns the account and how it acquired it (Rule 508.3). Its evidence usually comes through business records affidavits under Texas Rules of Evidence 803(6) and 902(10), with records from the original lender and any intermediate buyer. Whether the sale documents actually identify your account is often the central question. Texas generally allows four years to sue on a debt (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.004), and Finance Code § 392.307 bars a debt buyer from suing on consumer debt after that period, regardless of later payments. See can a debt buyer sue me on a time-barred debt?
Free Resources in Tarrant County
The Dell DeHay Law Library is open to the public and publishes research guides, including one on virtual and telephonic court hearings. Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas lists Tarrant County among the counties its Fort Worth office serves.
Claims Against LVNV or Its Collectors
The FDCPA prohibits false or misleading representations about a debt (15 U.S.C. § 1692e) and unfair practices (§ 1692f), and requires a collector that knows you have a lawyer to communicate through the lawyer (§ 1692c(a)(2)). The Texas Debt Collection Act adds state protections. We bring claims for violations as a separate federal lawsuit, not as a counterclaim in the Tarrant County case, and that work is a separate legal service from your debt defense. See our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.
How We Help in Tarrant County
We look up the case, e-file your answer, learn how your precinct handles hearings, request LVNV's chain of sale documents and account records, check limitations, and appear at settings in person or remotely as the court requires. If settling makes more sense, we negotiate in writing. We work by phone, email and e-filing, in English or Spanish, and answer our phones seven days a week.
Debt defense is a flat fee based on the amount of the suit, starting at $400, with payment plans available:
| Amount of the Lawsuit | Our Flat Legal Fee | Payment Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $1,000 | $400 | Up to 2 months |
| $1,001 – $3,000 | $500 | Up to 2 months |
| $3,001 – $5,000 | $750 | Up to 3 months |
| $5,001 – $7,500 | $1,000 | Up to 4 months |
| $7,501 – $10,000 | $1,250 | Up to 6 months |
| $10,001 – $12,500 | $1,500 | Up to 6 months |
| $12,501 – $15,000 | $1,750 | Up to 6 months |
| $15,001 – $20,000 | $2,000 | Up to 6 months |
| Over $20,000 | Call for Pricing | |
Texas Debt Law is not affiliated with LVNV Funding, Resurgent Capital Services or Tarrant County. Call or text for a free case review, or visit our Texas debt defense attorneys page.
Sources
- Tarrant County, Justice of the Peace Courts (eight courts, $20,000 limit, records links)
- Tarrant County Clerk, Online Searches Civil (Records Search coverage)
- Tarrant County Justice Court 5, Case Status (how to search)
- Tarrant County Justice Court 1, E-Court/E-Hearing Docket
- Tarrant County Justice Court 1, Hearings and Trials (exhibit rules)
- Tarrant County Justice Court 1 (e-filing options)
- Tarrant County Justice Court 6, Remote Hearings
- Tarrant County Justice Court 7 (Zoom and continuance policies, e-filing)
- Tarrant County Clerk, County Courts at Law FAQs
- Tarrant County Clerk, County Courts at Law (Civil Division contact)
- Dell DeHay Law Library, Virtual or Telephonic Court Hearings Research Guide
- LVNV Funding, official website
- Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (Rules 99, 166a, 500.10, 502.5, 508)
- Texas Finance Code ch. 392 (§ 392.307)
- Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1692–1692p
General information, not legal advice for your case.