Frequently Asked Questions (remember we are not a law firm and this is not legal advice)
Q: If a judgment is a court order, how can the judgment I won in court go unpaid? A: Courts attempt justice when they award money judgments. But the system falls short in that it doesn't actually MAKE a debtor pay. It's not against the law to owe money. And debtors’ prisons were eliminated long ago in this country. While enforcement options such as wage and bank garnishments are available, often they're not effective unless you know where your debtor banks, works or owns property. Our whole business is focused on doing exactly this.
Q: How long is my judgment good for? A: Statutes vary by state. In Maryland, judgments are valid for 12 years and renewable thereafter. So while your debtor may not have assets now, chances are fairly good that sometime in the next 24 years, your debtor will get a job, make money, open a bank account, rent an apartment and probably buy a house. And when that happens, we can be there tracking the debtors financial situation to ensure we garnish, lien and levy those assets to get the judgment paid.
Q: Why can't I enforce my judgment on my own? A: You can. But as you've probably figured out, the trick to getting a judgment paid is determining where a debtor banks, works and owns property. And then filing the legal documents to navigate an often complex legal system to ensure the judgment gets paid. It can be complicated and frustrating...unless your entire business is focused on it.
Q: How do you locate debtors and their assets? A: Our cutting-edge enforcement solution blends state-of-the-art technology with proprietary knowledge and systems to create a highly successful asset location system. In all honesty, we have access to information most others don't even know exists. We have to to be the best.
Q: What if you can't find any assets? A: If no assets are located initially, we'll monitor the debtor's financial status until it improves and judgment proceeds can be recovered. Over the lifetime of a judgment, most debtors eventually let down their guards. They get jobs and acquire assets. And when they do, we're there to garnish, lien and levy those assets.
Q: Can’t I get an attorney to enforce my judgment? A: You certainly can. And historically, attorneys have been the only real option to get judgment enforcement help. However, attorneys specialize in practicing law not enforcing court judgments. That’s why 80% of court judgments today remain unpaid. Attorneys also charge hourly rates and almost always require you to pay the enforcement costs incurred upfront – even if they never recover a cent. So you’re out even more money. Our solution offers you a state-of-the-art solution from a company focused exclusively on enforcing and recovering court judgments. And since we pay the upfront enforcement costs – not you – we put our money where our mouth is. Most attorneys aren’t willing to do this.
Q: How much do you charge? A: We don’t charge you a cent. And with our “No-Cost Guarantee,” we promise you’ll never – EVER –pay a cent. We pay ALL enforcement costs upfront. If there are additional court expenses, we may petition the court to add those expenses onto the judgment amount owed by the debtor. But the debtor pays those costs not you.
Q: How long does it take to recover a judgment? A: Since each debtor is unique, we can’t predict this. Frankly, no one can. But we can assure you that since we’re paying out of pocket up front to enforce and recover each judgment, we’re motivated to get our judgments paid as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Q: How do I get started? A: Getting started is easy. You can submit your judgment online or you can call us at 410-643-3310 and we'll send you two simple forms to sign. Simply sign and return the forms to us and as soon as we receive them, we'll immediately begin enforcement.