Got a deposition notice in the mail — am I actually being sued or is this something else?

Stop ignoring the letters. I know it feels like if you don't engage it'll go away, but that's the opposite of how this works. Ignoring a deposition notice — especially after you already filed an answer with the court — can get you in actual legal trouble. Show up, or at minimum talk to someone before the date so you know your options.

I was in a somewhat similar spot a couple years back — uninsured at the time of a fender bender, got pulled into the other person's UM claim as a witness/defendant hybrid. It was confusing as hell. My situation did eventually resolve without me owing anything extra beyond what I'd already settled, but I had to actually show up and answer questions. The deposition itself wasn't as scary as I expected — just answer honestly and don't volunteer extra info.

Your friend might be right that the attorney is pursuing the other driver's uninsured motorist coverage — that's actually pretty common in situations like yours. But here's the thing: even if you aren't the primary target, you can still be subpoenaed as a witness or named party for discovery purposes. That document request you ignored? That was almost certainly formal discovery. Ignoring discovery requests after you've already filed an answer with the court can lead to sanctions or a default judgment against you. I'd strongly suggest at least getting a free consult with a PI attorney before that deposition date.

Just a heads up — if the other driver's insurance company is involved behind the scenes here, their interests are NOT yours. They may seem neutral but they're looking to recoup whatever they paid out. Don't assume the deposition is just a formality.

Not legal advice, but I'll say this: once you filed that answer with the court, you became a party to the case. That changes things significantly compared to just being sent random letters. Discovery requests (like the documents they asked for) typically have deadlines and consequences for non-compliance. A deposition notice directed at a named party is not optional the way you might hope. Please talk to an attorney before that deposition — many PI lawyers do free consults and can at least tell you where you stand. Showing up unprepared is better than not showing up, but showing up prepared is what you actually want.

From what I've seen on the inside — yeah, this has the hallmarks of a UM claim where they need your testimony to establish fault and circumstances. You're probably not the deep pocket here. But that doesn't mean you get to just ghost it. Insurance companies and their attorneys document everything, and 'defendant didn't respond' is exactly the kind of note that causes problems down the road if anything escalates.

This sounds so stressful, I'm sorry you're dealing with it alone. Please don't keep trying to navigate this by yourself — even just one phone call to a lawyer for a free consult could take so much of this anxiety away. You clearly tried to do the right thing by filing that answer and setting up payments. Don't let the scary mail paralyze you now.

Wait — when you say you 'ignored' the document request, do you know for sure it was sent certified mail or formally served? There's a difference between a letter an attorney fires off fishing for info versus formal discovery that was properly served. Do you have copies of everything you've received? That detail actually matters a lot for figuring out where you stand right now.