Maria Pease - How to Collect Your Small Claims Judgment

Chapter 2FINDING YOUR DEBTOR
Chapter 3COLLECTION METHODS
Chapter 4WHAT ASSETS YOU CAN COLLECT
Chapter 5RECOVERING YOUR COSTS
Chapter 6POSSIBLE GLITCHES
Chapter 7 DONT FORGET TO DO THIS!
Chapter 8GETTING HELP
Chapter 9LEGAL RESOURCES
Websites to help you
Sample Questions for the JudgmentDebtor Exam

Forms Links
Action & Cost Trackers
A message from Maria Pease

Please be sure to check your state and county courts forproper procedures. Each state has there own court rules,as does each county in that state.

It is imperative that you check your local courts for moreinformation regarding the collection of judgments.

This book is for informational purposes only. The authoris not an attorney and this book is not a substitute forlegal advice. If you feel you need legal advice, pleasecontact an attorney.

You have prepared for court, you presented your case to thejudge and he awarded you a judgment. What you didnt knowwas

That was the easy part.

As you have discovered by now, its easier to win yourjudgment than collect it. But youre not alone. More than 80%of judgment holders NEVER collect their money. Why? Theyjust dont know how.

Thats why I have decided to write this comprehensivemanual on how you can collect your judgment. It is a guidethat will assist you in every step of the process in order togive you the best chance in finding your debtor and collectingyour money.

Are you ready? Lets do it!

Now, you ask, how do I find the loser that owes memoney? Well, there are a lot of places to look and I will bediscussing them all. Stay with me, I will explain them inorder from the easiest to the more difficult things to do. Ihave added a checklist for your convenience at the end ofthis chapter, so just check off the items as you do them.And no, you wont be breaking any laws!

Note: Judgments are good for ten years in most statesand then can usually be renewed for another ten if doneBEFORE the expiration. Check your state and county onthis, as I said, rules may be different so check!

Note: After you have won your case there is a waitingperiod before you can begin collecting. Check with thecourt where you were awarded your judgment for thatinformation.

We will be discussing the many public and privateresources available to you and what you want to look for.As you may know, public records are free and many ofthem can be accessed right from your computer at home.Those that cant are available in the office where they arelocated and are available for viewing just for the asking.See the freedom of information act for more information.

Check:

http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/

Note: Keep ALL receipt for any money you spend oncollecting your judgment. I will tell you why in chapter 5.This is VERY important so go get a folder right now andlabel it: RECOVERY COSTS.

The better records you keep, the easier it will beto get your money back.

Note

: Be polite and friendly when dealing with clerks.They can make it easy for you or not so easy.

WHERE TO LOOK

Phone books. Yes, thats what I said. Just takea look. Its the simplest way to find your debtorand the most overlooked. Do you have any oldphone books on hand? Look there too. Sometimespeople move close by and want to keep theirsame phone number. If they have requested thatit be unlisted, you will still be able to get it if youlook back a year or two. If you dont keep oldphone directories yourself, check your locallibrary.

Criss-cross directories and Reversedirectories . Most cities have them and they areusually available on-line. These directories arecross referenced by name, address, phone, andstreet. Dont forget to get information onneighbors. They can be worth their weight ingold as far as information, but be careful whatyou say. You dont want them to give the debtor aheads up that someone is on their trail.

Try calling the operator. Ask for your debtorsaddress and phone number. If they have a newaddress or number, it may not be listed yet.

Post Office. If you have ever moved youveprobably used a change of address form. We allneed to get our mail so we can pay all those dangbills! Even debtors have some bills that theymust pay. So, if your debtor has moved, theyhave probably left a forwarding address.

U.S Mail. If you think you have found yourdebtors address but your not sure, just send anenvelope with your debtors address on it andunder your return address (dont put your nameon it) just write Return Service Requested. Ifthey live there they will get the mail and think itis a mistake, if they dont live there it will comeback to you. Hopefully with their new address onit. Remember to keep track of all previousaddresses and phone numbers. This informationwill assist you in tracking your debtor.

Internet. Just Google your debtor. You may findthat they have a MySpace page or are on FaceBook. Do they have a business? Check theirbusiness name. Get Creative.

County Court House. Check the court recordsby searching for your debtors name. Be sure tocheck civil records, vehicle records, family courtrecords and criminal records. You can find a tonof information here! Be sure to look for name,birth date, social security #, phone number, anddrivers license number. You may not get solucky as to get SS # or drivers license numbersince that information is not public records, butlook, you might just get lucky!

Note

: check the county where they reside butAlso check surrounding counties as well.

Federal Prison

. Check to see if your debtor islocked up.

www.bop.gov/

County Recorders Office. Look here for birth,death, marriage, deeds and sometimes taxrecords. Usually you have a dropdown menu of abuffet of records you can view. Check out theones that you think might get you the
information you need. Again, you are looking forname, birth date, social security #, and phonenumbers. Take notes and make sure you list anyother information that could be useful, such as ifthey own property, where, and if there is aforeclosure or any liens on the property.

Tax Assessors Office. If your debtor owns anyproperty, either residential or business, youllfind the information here. Look for real property(all types), vehicles, aircraft, boats, etc. You mayalso check auto and boat registration if there is aseparate office in your area for this. You get thepicture. Be sure to check to see if there have beenany foreclosures and if they have been finalized.Take notes, you will use the information whenattempting to collect.