If you’ve been caught up in debt and judgment collection, you’ve probably come to realize that it can get real ugly, real soon. Winning a judgment in court, as people soon realize, is only half the process. The real task is trying to get your debtor to pay up—because many debtors turn out to be wily folks. They’ll dodge you and keep dodging you in a bid to tire you out.
Yet, people think sitting on a judgment won’t do them harm. But think again, good reader: even a goose that sits too long on its egg isn’t able to hatch it. And in the case of judgment collection, this is a golden egg we’re talking about.
First Things First: Can You Wait?
When your debtor is not willing to chummy up and pay you what you’re due, you could be waiting many years. And how many are these “many” years? In Minnesota, we’ve seen timelines that are as long as 26 years. And that’s a long time.
Can you wait this long? Will you have the energy to deal with this debt collection hassle for more than 25 years? You (or the debtor) could even move in these many years. Will you even be around in 26 years?
It Doesn’t Affect the Debtor Beyond Seven Years
You might have heard that unpaid debt and liens show up on credit reports and make life miserable for debtors. Well, that much is true—until they hire “credit repair companies” and get the debt washed off their reports. Even if it isn’t washed off, the debt will vanish in seven years, and you’ll still be waiting.
Demonetization
If they owe you $5,000 now, it won’t have the same value in 10 or even five years from now. The value of paper currency is volatile, and unless you’re an economist and can predict how the dollar will be affected in the coming years, this is too big a risk to take.
But What if My Debtor isn’t Paying Up? How do I Force Them to?
We get it. You were considering sitting on your judgment because your debtors are obstinate and don’t want to pay up. You thought you’d give them time. But like we said, that seldom works.
As for forcing them goes, that’s a bad idea. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act exists to ensure that creditors aren’t intimidating debtors. You might even have the tables turned on you if you try anything of that sort.
The wiser thing to do is to get in touch with a judgment collection agency such as Judgment Minnesota, if your debtor is in the state. They’ll buy your judgment, pay you a reasonable sum, and take the burden of debt collection off your shoulders. Give them a call at 952-955-4922 or reach out to them for further details.
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