A nurse was sued by her student-loan company. After losing a chunk of her paycheck, here's how it turned out.

Hannah Bates has represented herself for nearly two years in a lawsuit filed against her by her student-loan lender. Nic Antaya, Alyssa Powell/BI It's been over a year since Hannah Bates, 31, was sued by her private student-loan lender — a legal battle she called lengthy, expensive, and confusing. It started in October 2024, when Sallie Mae notified her that she'd made the final payment on her outstanding balance of $55,000. Bates knew that was a mistake. In fact, she was falling behind on her $1,500 monthly payments and had years' worth left. When she tried to clarify with Sallie Mae, she said she received conflicting information on how to avoid default. Six months later, Sallie Mae sued her to collect. When she's not working her 12-hour nursing shifts, Bates has represented herself in the lawsuit, with the help of ChatGPT.