Winning a judgment in a civil court case might result in a monetary award. Collecting that monetary award may not be as straightforward as you might think. In fact, collecting is often the most difficult part of civil litigation. Judgment creditors need plenty of patience and determination. Being a good sleuth doesn’t hurt, either.
A sleuth is a detective. He is a person who solves crimes by looking for clues and putting them together to create a picture of what happened. Though there is no crime in need of solving when someone is trying to collect an unpaid judgment, there is still a lot of digging and searching to do. There are still clues to discover and a picture to put together.
Cooperation Isn’t a Strong Point
Did you know that the vast majority of judgments entered in state courts are never collected? One of the biggest reasons is the fact that cooperation is not a judgment debtor’s strong point. If it were, so many cases ending up in civil court would never get there. Just the fact that one party needs to take another to court indicates a lack of cooperation between them.
This matters because a judgment debtor is not likely to come to court ready to pay up. And in fact, a defendant who knows he is likely to lose may begin the process of trying to hide assets and income – just in case. Hiding assets and income protects them against any future judgment, at least to some degree.
It is not uncommon for judgment debtors to claim that they do not have the resources to pay what they owe despite reality painting a very different picture. It’s not uncommon for them to transfer assets to other people, to empty their bank accounts and do everything with cash, to quit their jobs, and even to pack up and move away. It is all done to avoid paying.
Finding Them and Their Assets
An uncooperative debtor doing his best to shield his assets and hide himself may have an advantage against a creditor who does not know how to use all the available tools. That is when it’s wise for the creditor to call it an expert like Salt Lake City’s Judgment Collectors. Judgment Collectors is a collection agency that specializes in collecting judgments in eleven states.
Their team of collection sleuths know how to find assets like vacation properties and investment real estate. They are very good at scouring public property records, tax records, and even social media to figure out who owns what. Sometimes this is all it takes. Just letting a debtor know that you are aware of a piece of valuable property in his possession could be enough to motivate him to pay.
Specialists like Judgment Collectors also utilize a practice known as skip tracing to find debtors who try to avoid paying by packing up and moving away. Skip tracing involves a lot of detective work. If you are good at it, you can find just about anyone given enough time.
Uncovering What Is Hidden
Sleuthing in the judgment collection game is all about uncovering what is hidden. A judgment creditor unable to do so risks not getting paid a dime. Perhaps that’s why so many judgments go forever unpaid.
If you have won a civil lawsuit and monetary award, being a good sleuth can only help as you pursue payment. If you lack sleuthing skills, bring in an expert collection agency or attorney who can manage the job for you. Don’t let the debtor beat you by hiding income and assets.
