Frequently Asked Questions About Judgment Collection

Q: I thought my judgment was an order for the debtor to pay? Isn't the debtor breaking the law by not paying me?
A: Unfortunately it is not against the law to owe money. We do not have debtor's prison anymore. And if your debtor were in jail, it would be more difficult for us to collect. We want the debtor working, making money, saving money, and making purchases so that we can (surprise!) take them all to help pay his/her debts.

Q: Are you a collection agency?
A: I am NOT a collection agency! Collection agencies buy and process debts in bulk. They send out thousands of nasty letters and call debtors to try to get them to pay. Typically the only time I speak with the debtor is during a deposition when I have ordered them into court to testify under penalty of perjury as to their financial affairs. I focus on locating the debtor’s assets and wages, and then obtain a court order to seize those assets or garnish their wages.

I am different. I actually "take assignment" on your judgment. That gives me the authority and legal standing to pull credit reports, conduct thorough asset investigations, including surveillance, bank locates and more, and even bring your debtor back into court. My cases are treated individually and expertly. I am not afraid to put out money for enforcement procedures. And I have resources that collection agencies will never have.

Q: Can I use an attorney?
A: Absolutely. But remember, an attorney will charge you an hourly fee of $175 to $350. Also, while many attorneys are skilled at getting judgments, most attorneys are not familiar with effective post-judgment collection strategies.

Q: But how much will it cost me, really?
A: It costs you absolutely nothing. I advance all costs. If there are additional court expenses, I willpetition the court to add these to the judgment. I work with attorneys at no cost to you. To summarize: I spend the time and the money. If I don't collect, you still owe nothing and spend nothing.

Q. Can you guarantee that you'll collect the money judgment?
A: There are no guarantees, except that I will make my strongest effort. I use every strategy to collect, including pursuing assets of spouses and even a former spouse, and when appropriate, add debtors to your judgment on "alter ego theory". If your debtor files for Bankruptcy, not all is lost. When appropriate, I will fight the debtor's bankruptcy in order to get the judgment non-discharged.

My guarantee is that if I cannot collect the judgment for you, regardless of the out of pocket expenses we incur, I will not charge you anything. I only make money when I collect for you, so you can be sure that I will work my hardest for you.

Q. How long is my judgment good for?
A: If you are in California, a judgment is good for an initial 10 years, and can be renewed indefinitely. It is also collecting 10% interest per year. In Arizona, your judgment is good for 5 years, and you can renew indefinitely. Other states may vary from 5 to 25 years.

Q. Okay, now what do I do?
A: Call me personally at (661) 310-2434 and my investigative team will conduct a confidential no-cost assessment of your judgment. This usually takes between 24 and 48 hours. then I will contact you with the results, and discuss our strategies.

Q: So, how do you collect judgments?
A: Once you assign your judgment to us, we have a huge spectrum of legal methods available to us to collect your judgments.

Some of these methods include:

• Locating and foreclosing on real estate owned by the debtor or fraudulent transferee’s.
• Seizing automobiles, motorcycles, boats, personal watercraft and other toys, then selling them at a public auction.
• Locating hidden bank and brokerage accounts and seizing those funds.
• Locating employment of the debtor and garnishing those wages.
• Obtaining a Court order to garnish the wages of the debtor’s spouse.
• Piercing through asset protection schemes and corporate veils.
• Seizing shareholders interests in corporations and obtaining charging orders to attach interests in LLC’s and partnerships.
• Sheriff till taps (emptying the cash register of a business)
• Sheriff keepers (instructing the sheriff to spend all day in a debtors business and seize all money that the business generates)
• Subpoena records from friends, family and other businesses to discover assets.
• Obtain court orders to force third parties (friends, family, business associates, etc.) to testify regarding the debtors assets.
• Place liens on business and personal property of the debtor.
• And a whole lot more!

Q: Will I have to pay any out of pocket expenses in enforcing the judgment?
A: No, we advance all expenses and petition the court to add any allowed costs to the balance of the judgment.

Q: How long does the collection process take?
A: Results are measured on a case by case basis, typically results can be seen after 60 to 90 days, but each case varies, and in some instances the collection process can take several years.