Collecting your judgment is difficult. After winning a civil case and the court awarded you money damages, collecting them from the losing party can be a long and exhausting process. The losing party may refuse or not afford to fulfill the amount as ordered by the court. If you want to make the process easier, you might need a few tips for collecting your judgment.
Knowing what you can do to collect judgment will make things easier and less strenuous. It will give you the peace of mind and save you from all the hassles. Whether it is a small claims case or not, remember that the other party owes you, and you have to collect it. You have to plan out everything to ensure that things will go in your favor.
Hassle-Free Tips for Collecting Your Judgment
If you are in the midst of deciding whether you should pursue collecting your judgment or not, then a few tips can help you make the entire collection process hassle-free. Some of the tips that you can try are the following:
1. Stick with the Legal Ways to Collect the Debt
Remember that your debtor is also protected by the law just like you. When collecting debt, it is best that you resort to all possible legal ways. Avoid calling them every now and then as it can be taken as a form of harassment. Do not ask for other information about the debtor from other people. You can learn more about the assets and capability of the debtor to pay you with the help of another court order.
2. Encourage a Voluntary Payment Process
If you know that the debtor can’t pay the judgment in full, you can encourage them to pay you in a voluntary process. You can ask them to pay you little by little. In case the amount will take more than 10 years to pay, you must file for a renewal of the judgment. The judgment is enforceable and renewable every 10 years. So, if the judgment is not yet fully paid, you should file for a renewal to collect the money continuously.
3. Organize Everything
In case the debtor starts paying you, make sure to keep records. Have the judgment copied and create a record of the contact information of the debtor. Since you’ll incur expenses in collecting, you can keep track of these and add the amount to the judgment as these can also be reimbursed.
4. Ask for the Help of a Lawyer or a Collection Agency
If you’re still having a hard time collecting or have no time to do the collection on your own, you can contact a lawyer or collection agency to collect the judgment on your behalf. Though this may require you to pay a certain percentage from the collection, this will save you time, effort, and money that you can use for daily necessities.
Checking and trying out these tips for collecting your judgment, you’ll get some ideas on how to make the entire process as easy as possible. These tips will help you on how you can possibly collect the money the losing party owed you and finally close the tiring chapter of your life because of the case.