"Attempt of court?" If they really said that, it is a semiliterate corruption of the term "contempt of court." I think it may be safe to say that only a judge can hold you in contempt of court. And with a "217" number, that would be a judge located somewhere in central Illinois, if, indeed, the threat is real.
But if it were real, they would have identified which judge from what court was holding you in contempt. And you almost certainly would have been given a number that was publicly listed and that you could reverse search. Probably, it would be listed as the number for the judge that is holding you in contempt, assuming there is one. The judge wouldn't be answering the phone himself -- a clerk of the court would answer the number. However, when I google the number, all I can find that relates to this number are complaints about it and offers to search for its owner for a fee.
You can get more details about Illinois, at least, on this blog that I found:
http://www.criminallawyerillinois.com/2011/05 ... f-illinois-law/
I can't give you legal advice -- in fact, no one can based solely upon what you posted, because we don't even know what jurisdiction you are in and what state one would have to be licensed in to help you. But you can always call your state's bar association or supreme court to try to get some basic information and to find out who to contact if you are worried. You may also want to contact a local law school -- many law schools have clinics where you can discuss your situation with a law school student supervised by a real attorney. These clinics are either low cost or possibly even free. Or you can ask the local state bar or the clinic if there are lawyers who might be able to take your case on a pro bono basis (i.e., for free). Most states require or encorage lawyers to donate a certain number of hours of their time each year to needy clients, and your case does not seem to require so many hours that it would hurt a lawyer in the appropriate field of practice to take a few hours to talk to you about it.
I am a old man who lives alone and got a phone message, not saying my name but I was in attempt of court. Do not know what that means, but I have done nothing wrong. The call was to be my finial notice. Nothing was in the mail. This needs to stop. Not even a company name but gave a phone number of 217-321-1914. I erased it at once. They are crazy for calling an older man. Bill
"Attempt of court?" If they really said that, it is a semiliterate corruption of the term "contempt of court." I think it may be safe to say that only a judge can hold you in contempt of court. And with a "217" number, that would be a judge located somewhere in central Illinois, if, indeed, the threat is real.
But if it were real, they would have identified which judge from what court was holding you in contempt. And you almost certainly would have been given a number that was publicly listed and that you could reverse search. Probably, it would be listed as the number for the judge that is holding you in contempt, assuming there is one. The judge wouldn't be answering the phone himself -- a clerk of the court would answer the number. However, when I google the number, all I can find that relates to this number are complaints about it and offers to search for its owner for a fee.
You can get more details about Illinois, at least, on this blog that I found:
http://www.criminallawyerillinois.com/2011/05 ... f-illinois-law/
I can't give you legal advice -- in fact, no one can based solely upon what you posted, because we don't even know what jurisdiction you are in and what state one would have to be licensed in to help you. But you can always call your state's bar association or supreme court to try to get some basic information and to find out who to contact if you are worried. You may also want to contact a local law school -- many law schools have clinics where you can discuss your situation with a law school student supervised by a real attorney. These clinics are either low cost or possibly even free. Or you can ask the local state bar or the clinic if there are lawyers who might be able to take your case on a pro bono basis (i.e., for free). Most states require or encorage lawyers to donate a certain number of hours of their time each year to needy clients, and your case does not seem to require so many hours that it would hurt a lawyer in the appropriate field of practice to take a few hours to talk to you about it.