How To Collect Your JudgementThis page will discuss some of the ways of collecting your judgement. If you have not yet sued someone, please review the tips at Before you sue.To get the best information about your location, ask the clerk or the small claims advisor about ways you can collect on your judgement. If your judgement is against a person, and this person refuses to pay, you can ask the court to garnish their wages. If you have ever exchanged a check with the debtor, this check may have clues about where the debtor does their banking. Check the local county tax office to see if the debtor owns a home. If the judgement is against a business, visit the place of business and see what kind of things they have at the location. Sometimes the owner of a business with outstanding judgements will close the business, then open it again with a different name, but at the same location with the same equipment and same customers! You will need a lawyer to help you prove that this was fraud, a way to transfer assets to avoid paying a judgement. If you can not get the debtor to voluntarily pay, an enforcement officer can help you collect. If the judgement is large enough, you should consider hiring a company to do an asset search. |