Transworld Systems Inc. Debt Collection Complaint

Transworld Systems Inc. Debt collection department,

Non-federal student loan Taking/threatening an illegal action Threatened to sue on too old debt South Carolina

The debt collector sued me in local court and obtained a judgement lien which has been placed on my home. This home is the only property I own. A notice was given to me informing me of the suit being initiated against me. Within my state of SC, the statute of limitation for filing a judgement on a non-federal student loan is 3 years. My understanding was that the court would not grant the lien because the statute of limitation had expired so I did not respond. However, the local court did grant the lien. I later found that I had to present my case regarding statute of limitation in court. My question is, Is it legal for a debt collector to seek a judgement claim even though the statute of limitation for doing so expired? Does this fall in the category of unfair or abusive debt collection practice?