can they try to collect this from me??????

[chonam]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? ca

hi, i live in Los Angeles, in Jan of 2003 i had an accident and my doctor sent me for a couple of MRI's from my lumbar spine and they told me i was not responsible for the charges unless the case is settled.
for some reason and because it would take a long time to resolve this case i decided to drop it, now today after 5 1/2 years i have recieved a bill for $4500 for those 2 MRI's.
my question is that can they collect this money after 5 1/2 years? and what should i do if they send it to a collection agency? thanks, chona

[debtcollector`]

Originally Posted by chonam

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? ca

hi, i live in Los Angeles, in Jan of 2003 i had an accident and my doctor sent me for a couple of MRI's from my lumbar spine and they told me i was not responsible for the charges unless the case is settled.
for some reason and because it would take a long time to resolve this case i decided to drop it, now today after 5 1/2 years i have recieved a bill for $4500 for those 2 MRI's.
my question is that can they collect this money after 5 1/2 years? and what should i do if they send it to a collection agency? thanks, chona

Well, you got the service so you should pay for it. I'm reasonably sure you are not planning to pay your bill and the question really was: How do I got out of paying my debt? You just didn't want to look like a total deadbeat.

You should google California SOL and the Rosenthal -- check the spelling -- act. Then make a decision.

DC

[chonam]

Does anyone know the answer to my question? if so please tell me if after
5 1/2 years they can still try to collect this money? thanks

[cosine]

Originally Posted by chonam

Does anyone know the answer to my question? if so please tell me if after
5 1/2 years they can still try to collect this money? thanks

DC gave you your answer. It's called SOL. It means Statute of Limitations. It is a part of law that specifies a time limit in which a legal action may take place. Each of the various kinds of actions have different kinds of time limits. There are many reasons for there being differences in each of these kinds of actions. You will need to google for (that means using the Google internet search engine) the specific information for your state, as DC suggested.

Is a bill all you have received? Or was it a collections notice? Either way, the billing and collections business has a very good understanding of law and will know exactly when the Statute of Limitations runs out. If they feel your debt is collectable and worth risking the legal costs (which you likely pay if they win, and they pay if they lose), they could sue you. And they will make that decision before the SOL runs out. And for $4500 there's a good chance of that.