2 Ways To Collect Money For A Judgement You Have On A Person
If you recently won a civil case against someone, the court most likely would have placed a judgement against that person when this happens, the person that owes you money is legally responsible for paying it to you. If he or she fails to do this, there are several strategies you could use to collect the money from the person.
Garnish The Person's Wages
The first strategy you can use is wage garnishment. If you can get this approved through the court, the court will notify the person's employer to begin garnishing the person's wages. Wage garnishments have limits, but typically you can collect up to 25% of a person's wages through this strategy.
To use this option, you will need to hire a lawyer for help or contact the clerk of the court. You will need to file the necessary documentation with the court, and the court will then look it over. If the court agrees with you and approves your request, the wage garnishment will begin quickly and will continue to occur until the debt is paid in full.
The only downside to this option is that the person must have a regular job where he or she receives a normal paycheck. If the person is unemployed or self-employed, it may be impossible to garnish his or her wages.
Place A Lien On The Person's Property
If wage garnishment is not an option, you could use a second strategy which involves placing a lien on the person's property. A lien is something that gives a person legal rights to an asset, but you must go through the court to get a lien on someone's property. This typically will include the person's home, property he or she owns, or a business the person owns.
To get a lien on the person's property, you must file a document with the land records office at the courthouse. Once the lien is placed on the property, the person will have to pay you the money owed if he or she ever wants to sell this particular property. It is harder to collect money owed through a lien than through wage garnishment, but this is often the only option you have.
If a person owes you money and there is a judgement against him or her, you could always talk to a lawyer to help you collect the money the person owes you. To learn more about how judgements work, contact an attorney in your area today.
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