Summons is a notice that you have to appear in court concerning a matter. It comes from the courts. I would speculate that it came from a small claims court. At least that has been the experience that I have heard from people. The collections agency has filed a claim with the court.
Collection agencies can not freeze anything. Only courts can freeze bank accounts.
Collection agencies do not and cannot freeze accounts in any state. Only the courts can do this. However, if a lender has a valid judgment against you for a bad debt, any collection agency they hire to recover it can serve your bank with an order of garnishee and attach the assets in the accounts you have there.
If you are not a company that reports unpaid debts to the credit bureau's, you can turn the debt over to a collection agency who does report. The other way is to obtain a judgment against them and it will automatically be reported by the courts.
marshals
You usually have around 20 days to file and answer with the courts and then you'll go to court. Make sure you do, or it will be a default judgment in favor of the plaintiff. Remember, when you go to court, the judgment isn't based on your ability to pay or the circumstances to cause you to default (the judge doesn't care) - only on your contractual obligation (if you signed for the debt). There's so many sources online that say if you challenge it, you won't get a judgment. That's bs. A judgment is imposed 98% of the time. All the agency or creditor needs is proof you signed for the debt. Try to settle it out of court as a judgment will hurt your finances even more and severely hurt your credit. Experience: I own a collection agency.
Yes, there can be.
No they have not.
The three agencies in criminal justice (in a consensus model, like in the United States) are the police, criminal courts, and correctional agencies. A case will go through the agencies in that order, starting with the police (which identifies crimes) and ending with the correctional agencies (once the agency reforms and reintroduces the convict to the public). The police identify and investigate crimes, the courts hold trials and sentence those found guilty of crimes, and the correctional agencies carry out the sentences that the courts set.
If you had previously been notified of the date (e.g.: by the date on a ticket - having received a summons - by being present at a previous appearance - etc) you have no excuse. It is YOUR responsibility to remain informed of your obligations, not the courts. Also, if you have purposely been avoiding the service of a subpoena or summons, then the consequences are on you.
yes
the ruling of state supreme courts are always the final judgment on a matter.
The magistrates appointed to run the courts.