Page 54 - Judgment Enforcement Course

Judgment Enforcement – The Step-by-Step Course

• If the judgment is too small, I don’t take it. In a lot

cases it takes just as much work to collect a SOME JUDGMENTS
$10,000 judgment as it does to collect a $1000 THAT I DON’T TAKE
judgment.

• Medical judgments—if the person is ill, or couldn’t pay for his wheelchair, do you
really want that judgment. ‘Nough said.

• Evictions (Unlawful detainers)—if the debtor can’t pay his rent, then there’s
likely not much to go after. (There are a lot of exceptions, though.)

• Judgments where the debtor is on drugs—if I learn from
the JC or from my database research that the debtor has drug
arrests, I won’t take that judgment. His money is going in his
arm or up his nose. He’ll likely be dead soon anyway.
Remember, you want the “better debtor.”

• Judgments where the JC is a business that carries its own paper. An example
of this would be a low end used car dealer or a cheap furniture store that lends
someone money to buy their goods. The people who shop at these places are often
the poorest in our society. Yes, these businesses have lots of judgments. Tons of
them, in fact. But the debtors are often transient, jobless, and broke. I learned this

the hard way. Trust me.

• Judgments where I don’t like the JC. We all get a
feeling about people when you talk to them. If the JC is a jerk,
or it seems like he’ll be hounding you every week for some
action, don’t take that judgment! I know, I know, there’s money
to be made. But it’s usually not worth the trouble. I learned this
the hard way too.

• Judgments where the JD has moved out of state: If my research shows that the
debtor is no longer local to me, then I’ll probably pass the judgment on to someone
on our Forum who is in that area. The exception to this is when the JD has moved
away but now owns real property. If he has a new home, you can still put a lien on
it. You’ll have to transfer the judgment to that state, and then follow that state’s
laws on putting down liens.

• Judgments where I know the JD has no work skills: If I learn from the JC that
the debtor is a goof off with no work skills, I probably won’t bother to take the
judgment. But if he has a skill—mechanic, welder, doctor, etc.—then that’s much
more attractive to me.

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