Question:
I found out I had a judgement for wage garnishment, but I was never served any papers. Another lawyer on Avvo.com suggested that if I file a motion to set aside the invalid default judgement, it only postpones the inevitable of the creditor getting a valid judgement against me. Should I file bankruptcy to get rid of my one credit card debt?
Response:
You get what you paid for, when an attorney offers an opinion on a web site about the “inevitable” outcome of a debt collection case, without knowing the specific facts and potential defenses. In my experience helping consumers defend these cases in the courts, there are many debt collection lawsuits that get dismissed and many more that get settled if there is no default judgment against the debtor. There is typically a higher price required to payoff a default judgment and compared with settling a debt collection lawsuit with no default judgment. Also, a default judgement shows up on your credit reports, until it is paid off (satisfied in full) or discharged.
The only thing inevitable in your case is that if you do nothing about this default judgment, it will remain in place and be enforceable until it is paid, settled, or discharged in bankruptcy. The idea of filing bankruptcy for a single debt does not make sense to me, except if you have hired a debt collection DEFENSE attorney, and the situation was not resolved in a favorable way. There is no guarantee in court on the outcome. Please search my blog postings for more under: “default judgment” and “bankruptcy alternative.”
Robert Stempler
www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com
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