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Lawsuit Defense Tracker
Landmark Strategy Group, LLC v. Jermaine Fields · Case 26CHLC18004 · $7,261.64 demanded
STATUS: ANSWERED & SERVED — July 17, 2026, 28 days ahead of deadline. Default is impossible. The case now sits in a backlogged queue that costs THEM, not you.
Case facts
Case26CHLC18004 · LASC Limited Civil
DebtPenFed card ...8743 · last paid 6/28/23 · charged off 2/21/24
PlaintiffLandmark Strategy Group, LLC (debt buyer, Seneca NY)
Their counselMandarich Law Group LLP · P.O. Box 109032, Chicago IL 60610
Served on meThu 7/16/2026
Answer FILEDFri 7/17/2026 — conformed copy in purple folder
Service to themCertified 7/17 · tracking 9589 0710 5270 4041 0734 64
⚖️ TRIALWed April 7, 2027 · 8:30 AM · Dept L · SAN FERNANDO Courthouse, 900 Third St
Court call center(213) 633-6333
Open items
- Mon 7/20: call (213) 633-6333 — fee waiver ruling (reminder set). If DENIED: pay $225 within 10 days of mailed notice — protects the filed Answer. Non-negotiable.
- Watch the mail: fee-waiver ruling · any discovery from Mandarich (30-day response clocks — bring to Claude SAME DAY) · any motion.
- Settlement window Aug–Oct: script the call with Claude first. Open ~40% lump · cap 50% · WRITTEN agreement · dismissal WITH PREJUDICE · never a stipulated judgment · nothing final until signed.
Their file's defects (the leverage stack)
- DFPI debt-collector license "currently pending" — no license number pleaded (¶7)
- Purchase date of the debt literally MISSING from the complaint (¶8 — FDBPA §1788.58 pleading requirement)
- Attorney-fee claim cites the wrong statute (CC §2983.4 — auto finance law)
- No chain-of-assignment / bill of sale documents attached — standing unproven
- Trial 8+ months out · their witnesses are 2,000 miles away
How I'll know if it gets dismissed
- Mail: stamped Request for Dismissal (CIV-110) arrives from their attorney
- Docket: dismissal appears as an entry on Case Access within days
- Nuance: voluntary dismissal = usually WITHOUT prejudice (refile possible until SOL dies ~mid-2027) · settlement dismissal = WITH prejudice (dead forever — the version we negotiate for)
IRON RULE: Never skip April 7, 2027 on an assumption. No stamped dismissal or docket entry = I show up, dressed like it's a client meeting. A no-show loses even a winning case.
If it goes to trial (unlikely — be ready anyway)
- Bench trial, minutes-to-an-hour. Plaintiff carries the ENTIRE burden: contract + breach + amount + proof Landmark owns MY account (full chain from PenFed), all with admissible evidence.
- The CCP 98 play: debt buyers serve a "declaration in lieu of testimony" instead of a live witness. It's only admissible if the declarant is available for service near the courthouse — theirs never are. Timely objection = their evidence dies = judgment for defendant. Prep this with Self-Help when pre-trial paperwork starts.
- If they no-show or can't prove up → dismissed. If they somehow prove everything → judgment + payment plan; no drama.
- Watch for their pre-trial witness/evidence exchange demands (limited-civil rules) — bring anything received to Claude same day.
Why this matters beyond $7,261
Unsatisfied judgment = wage garnishment + NMLS disclosure event during license-building years. Settled + dismissed = invisible, forever. Keep the stamped dismissal in records permanently when it comes. Pending consumer suit ≠ MU4 disclosure; only a judgment would be.
Private tracker · not legal advice · free help: LA Court Self-Help Centers · Neighborhood Legal Services (800) 433-6251 · docs in purple folder + 02_deploy-packages · full history in Claude Memory/lawsuit-landmark-v-fields.md