have you been served?

Just read thru the forum....used key words "been served" or "summons"

I was sued by a creditor for a sum less than $2K, defended aggressively pro se (I have experience as a pro se litigator), and they gave up, and dismissed the case,

It's happened to me a couple of times - in each case I called the attorney representing the plaintiff that was indicated on the summons, and told them I wanted to settle out of court beforehand. Payment plans were worked out, and although I did appear at court, it was only a formality as the cases were dismissed (with leave to reinstate, if I did not make my payments as promised). This way, there were no judgements against me either, since agreements were decided on before the court date.