I'm being sued for an old debt

by Tomas
(Louisiana)

I live in Louisiana. On 11/05/07 I received a petition stating I'm being sued for $4400.00. The petition allowed me 15 days to answer. I sent a certified to the city court disputing the debt. I thought the situation was resolved since I had not received any response. Now on 09/23/11, I received a summons that states my court date is a month away. I have reviewed my credit reports and this company is not listed on them. I found out the originator of the debt charged it off in 03/05, last payment was 11/24/04. The sol for open accounts in my state is 3 years, but the suit was filed 11/05/07 (date of petition).

What legal recourse do I have? Is there a deadline or timeframe for a lawsuit after it has been initiated?