Old Judgment Never Paid

by Sandee
(Washington, CA, US)

I acquired a court ordered judgment in 2003 and never paid it. Now a collection agency is trying to collect on the debt and they don't own it. What are my rights?

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Feb 03, 2011
 how to handle old court judgment
by: DebtCollectionAnswers.com

Sandee,

According to our sources, judgments last ten years in Washington state (please don't take that as legal advice). In addition, in most states, judgments can be renewed indefinitely. In addition, judgment creditors in many states have additional avenues for collection, such the ability to garnish wages or seize bank accounts.

If you can pay this off, or if they will let you settle for less than the full balance but consider it paid in full, that may make sense to put it behind you.

If you really can't afford to pay it, we would recommend you at least get a free consultation with a bankruptcy attorney to find out what the judgment creditor can and cannot go after. That will also help you create a Plan B if they won't work with you and start to aggressively try to collect.

We hope you'll be able to put this behind you.
Nov 03, 2011
 question
by: Anonymous

What do you mean 'they don't own it' when referring to the judgement?

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