Size Is Often Irrelevant When Money Judgments Go Unpaid

It is not unusual for attorneys to refuse civil cases because the potential payoff is not worth their time or effort. Likewise, even after winning a civil lawsuit with a money judgment, an attorney might be unwilling to assist with enforcement because the judgment amount is so small. But often, the size of the judgment is irrelevant to the plaintiff.

Imagine a plaintiff seeking a money judgment against another party. Maybe the other party breached a contract, failed to pay a bill, or in some way caused harm to the plaintiff. It could be that suing the defendant was less about extracting money and more about holding him accountable. Accountability is really what the plaintiff is after.

A Sense of Fairness and Justice

Doing whatever it takes to enforce a money judgment is rare. Winning plaintiffs, also known as judgment creditors, tend to only go so far before giving up. But those who see things through to the end often do so out of a sense of fairness and justice.

Forcing the defendant, also known as the judgment debtor, to pay what he owes brings justice to the situation – regardless of how small or large the judgment amount is. On the other hand, letting the debtor get away with paying nothing is considered blatantly unfair.

We Americans seem to have an inherent sense of fairness. We want the playing field to be level for all sides. We do not like the idea of a two-tiered justice system that allows the wealthy and connected to get away with whatever they want while the rest of us are held accountable.

It is with that in mind that some judgment creditors pursue collection. They do not care what the size of the actual judgment is. They care about justice and fairness. If that means investing several years and considerable financial resources only to net a few hundred dollars, so be it.

Collection Can Require a Lot

The downside of all of this is that collection can require a lot from a creditor. According to Judgment Collectors, a Utah judgment collection specialist based in Salt Lake City, it can take years to recover a monetary award. But that’s not all.

In addition to the time investment, creditors often need to put effort into extensive asset searches. They must spend endless hours contacting debtors and then following up. Sometimes they need to deal with attorneys and the court system. It all adds up to a very trying experience.

For some judgment creditors, putting so much into it just to collect a small amount is not worthwhile. They would rather have written off the unpaid debt and been done with it. But there are those willing to see things through to the end.

Professional Help Is Advisable

The best advice a judgment creditor could receive is to enlist professional help from day one. Specialized agencies like Judgment Collectors understand the system. They know how to use all the available legal tools to recover unpaid monetary awards. They also employ fully trained, highly experienced specialists who are masters of everything from asset searches to skip tracing.

Some collection agencies purchase money judgments for pennies on the dollar. Others work cases on consignment. If it were me, I would choose the consignment model. It makes more sense and reduces the risk of loss.

How about you? Would you be willing to pursue a money judgment to conclusion regardless of its size? Some people would be. They would pursue even the smallest of judgments based solely on the idea of accountability. To them, it’s the principle of the matter.