Millions of Americans face consumer debt collection lawsuits each year, but most never mount a defense. The system is difficult to navigate, legal help is unaffordable, and default judgments allow creditors to seize assets and garnish wages—often even when claims are legally defective. Courts have tried manual review, but it is slow, inconsistent, and still permits unlawful judgments that strip wages and destabilize families.

 In the Judgment Day research sessions, participants will play the role of a judge in a case review simulation to reveal the different ways in which courts currently fail and succeed in identifying fraudulent or procedurally void judgments. These findings will shed light on systemic injustices under current review procedures, help shape concrete recommendations for review reform, and inform the design of a state-of-the-art assistive tool for default judgments. The research session will be four hours, including training and hands-on case review.  Participants will recieve a $100 gift card and dinner from Zareens, and will be invited to a celebratory dinner at David and Nora Freeman Engstrom’s house on October 22nd.