What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? GA
I just received a notice to appear in court for an outstanding debt. This debt is for an old credit card. The statute of limitations have passed (6 years in GA). Here are my questions: Do I go to court? If so, what can I expect? How do I prove the statute of limitations have passed without restarting the debt sol again? Do I need to send a debt validation letter?
If you are sure the SOL has passed, that is your defense. Be careful, because date of last activity is not necessarily the date you last paid on a current account. If the account was kept current by your last payment, you didn't have a collectible debt at that time, and that date doesn't apply to the full collectible balance. SOL generally (but I don't know specifically for GA) runs from the time the account became a debt collectible in full, or some other similar definition. It is the date they could have first legally sued you, or later if subsequent payments are made on that account.
Find a lawyer that offers an initial consultation. He/she should be able to tell you if SOL is a workable defense for you.
You are past a debt validation letter. You can still do that if you want. It won't really get you anywhere with the court.
The court summons should tell you exactly what to do, whether to sent a written answer, or appear on a specified date, or both. Call or visit the court to verify the case and/or docket is real, in case this is one of those scams (rare, but growing). If the court clerk says there is no such case, get this IN WRITING and signed by the clerk. Otherwise, do exactly what the summons says to do by the dates specified. The lawyer offering your initial consultation may be able to tell you what to say in a written response or in your appearance (if you cannot hire the lawyer to appear on your behalf with you).
DO NOT ignore the summons unless you want a default judgment to be granted against you, which would make the SOL irrelevant (even if it would have been relevant to defend with had you appeared).