On this page
- Three Things to Find on the First Page
- Reading a Dallas County Court at Law Case Number
- Looking Up the Case
- Deadlines in the County Courts at Law
- E-Filing and Filing in Person
- Zoom and Hearing Practices Vary by Court
- What PRA Has to Prove
- Justice Court PRA Cases
- Free Resources
- Your Rights Against Collectors
- How We Handle Dallas County PRA Cases
- Sources
A lawsuit from Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC in Dallas County can be filed in a justice court or in one of the county's five County Courts at Law, and sometimes in a civil district court. The higher courts are where the procedure gets more demanding: formal discovery, motions for summary judgment with a 21-day response window, and hearing practices that differ from court to court. This page explains how to place a PRA case in the Dallas County system, look it up and keep up with it.
PRA's background and the 2015 and 2023 CFPB orders are in our main guide to being sued by Portfolio Recovery Associates in Texas, and Dallas County's courts and resources are summarized on our Dallas debt defense page.
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Three Things to Find on the First Page
- The plaintiff's exact name. PRA Group's annual report identifies Portfolio Recovery Associates, LLC as its wholly owned subsidiary. The Texas Secretary of State's registry also shows a bond for a related company, PRA Receivables Management, LLC. The company named as plaintiff is the one that must prove it owns your account.
- The court. "Justice Court, Precinct _, Place _" means a justice court debt claim case. "County Court at Law No. _" or a numbered district court means the full Texas Rules of Civil Procedure apply.
- The attorney. PRA Group's 10-K says it uses internal attorneys as well as outside law firms for legal recovery, so the signature block may show a PRA lawyer or an outside Texas firm. Our collection law firm guides cover many of those firms.
Reading a Dallas County Court at Law Case Number
The Dallas County Clerk handles the civil records of the five County Courts at Law, and its FAQ gives a useful shortcut: the letter at the end of the case number tells you the court. A case number ending in A is in County Court at Law No. 1, B in No. 2, and so on through E for No. 5. The Clerk's FAQ lists a separate phone number for each court for scheduling and questions about an existing case, and a number for questions about new cases and citations.
The same FAQ says a county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in civil cases where the amount in controversy is more than $500, with no maximum amount. So a PRA suit for $6,000 and one for $40,000 can both end up there, even though the first could have been filed in justice court, where the limit is $20,000 (Gov't Code § 27.031).
Looking Up the Case
- The Clerk says most civil cases can be found on the Dallas County Online Record Search, though some case types and documents are restricted and older documents may be on paper only.
- The county's courts portal offers a Smart Search of court records and a hearing search by date range. The county says portal registration is required only for defense attorneys and county employees.
- For a justice court case, the courts portal is also where the JP courts send people to check case status.
If you received papers but can't find the case, call the clerk at a number from the county's website before doing anything else. See how do I know if I've really been sued?
Deadlines in the County Courts at Law
The answer is due by 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after 20 days from service (Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 99(b)); in a justice court it is the end of the 14th day after service (Rule 502.5). Our answer deadline calculator does the math.
After the answer, two later deadlines matter most:
- Summary judgment. For motions filed on or after March 1, 2026, the response is due 21 days after the motion is filed (Rule 166a). See our Rule 166a update.
- Discovery. Requests for admissions not answered on time can be deemed admitted; see why requests for admissions are dangerous.
E-Filing and Filing in Person
The Dallas County Clerk's FAQ says electronic filing of most court documents is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through eFileTexas.gov, and that attorneys are required to file electronically. The Clerk's page for self-represented litigants lists the civil filing counter in the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street, first floor, Suite 101, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and links to the Local Rules for the Civil Courts of Dallas County. Clerks are prohibited from giving legal advice.
Zoom and Hearing Practices Vary by Court
Each county court at law sets its own hearing procedures. County Court at Law No. 2, for example, says on its page that it uses Zoom for all hearings, bench trials and conferences, through one standing meeting ID, with participants placed in a waiting room until the judge calls the case. It asks that documents not already e-filed be emailed, referencing the cause number, at least 48 hours before the hearing, and warns that late submission may lead to the hearing being cancelled. Recording is not permitted. Other courts may handle settings differently, so read the page for the court your case-number letter points to. Under Rule 21d, a notice of hearing controls how you appear, and any party may object to the method for good cause.
What PRA Has to Prove
PRA must prove the agreement, the default, the balance after all payments and credits, and its ownership of the account through each transfer. In county court, those facts are usually offered through business records affidavits under Texas Rules of Evidence 803(6) and 902(10), often with a bill of sale and an account schedule attached. The questions are whether those papers identify your account and whether the chain from the original lender is complete. PRA's 2023 CFPB order lists account documents PRA agreed to have before legal collection on accounts placed after the order took effect; our main PRA guide explains what that order does and doesn't do. Discovery is how you ask for them; see what is discovery in a debt case?
Texas generally allows four years to sue on a debt (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.004), and a debt buyer cannot sue on consumer debt after that period, even if a later payment was made (Finance Code § 392.307). Raise limitations in your answer if the dates support it.
Justice Court PRA Cases
If your PRA case is in one of Dallas County's ten justice courts, the court's own debt claims page sets out how it accepts answers and requests to appear virtually, and those practices differ. Our guide to Midland Funding suits in Dallas County walks through those differences, including night court at JP 4-2.
Free Resources
The Dallas County Law Library is open to the public, and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas serves eligible Dallas County residents.
Your Rights Against Collectors
PRA Group describes buying and collecting nonperforming loans as its primary business, and the FDCPA covers companies whose principal purpose is debt collection (15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6)). It bars false or misleading representations (§ 1692e) and unfair practices (§ 1692f), and requires a collector that knows you have a lawyer to contact the lawyer (§ 1692c(a)(2)). The Texas Debt Collection Act adds state protections. If a violation occurred, we file a separate federal lawsuit, never a counterclaim in the Dallas County case, and that is a separate legal service from your debt defense. See our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.
How We Handle Dallas County PRA Cases
We identify the court from the case number, e-file your answer and any verified denials, follow the docket for motions and discovery, ask PRA for its ownership chain and account records, respond to summary judgment on time, and appear at Zoom or in-person settings. When a negotiated result is better, we put it in writing. Our office is in Frisco, and most of the work is done by phone, email and e-filing, in English or Spanish, seven days a week.
Debt defense is a flat fee based on the amount of the suit, from $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 Portfolio Recovery Associates, PRA Group or Dallas County. Call or text for a free case review, or read about our Texas debt defense attorneys.
Sources
- Dallas County Clerk, Civil Courts FAQs (case number letters, jurisdiction, e-filing, record search)
- Dallas County Clerk, Representing Yourself (filing counter, local rules)
- Dallas County Online Record Search
- Dallas County Courts Portal
- Dallas County Court at Law No. 2 (Zoom hearings, document submission)
- Dallas County Justice of the Peace Courts
- PRA Group, Inc., Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025
- Texas Secretary of State, Debt Collector Search
- Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (Rules 21d, 99, 166a, 198, 502.5)
- Texas Rules of Evidence (Rules 803(6), 902(10))
- 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.