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Imagine the defendant in a civil lawsuit being on the losing end when the court renders its decision. The defendant is ordered to make payment to the plaintiff by way of a judgment entered against him. Now what? There is a very real risk the defendant will immediately begin doing everything he can to avoid paying. That leaves the plaintiff in the position of having to chase him down.
This sort of thing happens all the time, according to Judgment Collectors, a Salt Lake City debt collection agency that specializes in judgments. Judgment Collectors’ team members say that debtors often go to great lengths to avoid paying. Some move and leave no forwarding information. Others purposely quit their jobs just so their wages cannot be garnished. Still others try to hide their assets in whatever way they can.
The interesting thing about it is that staying one step ahead of an experience judgment collection agency isn’t easy to do. You really have to put forth some effort. So a person who is enterprising enough and willing to actively avoid paying is probably capable of making good on his debt.
Resourcefulness Goes Both Ways
It is amazing to see just how resourceful debtors can be when they dig their heels in and refuse to pay. A resourceful debtor knows how to work the system so that collection agencies cannot easily find addresses, phone numbers, and employment information. But to actively avoid payment for years on end, debtors have to constantly be thinking one step ahead of debt collectors.
What they fail to acknowledge is that resourcefulness goes both ways. Experienced debt collectors are just as resourceful. When it comes to judgments specifically, collection agencies have a lot of tools at their disposal. They have access to databases that reveal contact information, addresses, and even assets. They also have a number of collection options to work with, including wage garnishment and asset seizure.
Sometimes, the collection game’s winners and losers are determined by which party is more resourceful. Of course, determination has a lot to do with it, too. A judgment collector who is both resourceful and highly determined is hard to beat over the long haul.
Applying the Same Effort to Paying
The most frustrating thing to creditors is that resourceful debtors actively trying to avoid payment could apply that same resourcefulness and effort to making payment. Some debtors almost make a full-time job out of avoidance. If they took that time and invested it in some extra work, they could earn the money to pay their debts and be done with them.
Perhaps there are serial debtors who refuse to pay what they owe because they see it as some sort of a game. They find it a challenge to stay one step ahead of creditors and their collection agencies. For them, it is like a game of cat and mouse. Paying what they owe would end the game.
Pay What You Owe
There are times when defendants in a civil case truly do not have the financial resources to pay judgments entered against them. But in nearly every case, creditors are willing to bend over backwards to accommodate debtors. Almost all are willing to work out payment plans, even if that means just getting a small sum every month.
If you have the resourcefulness to actively avoid paying your debts, you also have resourcefulness to find a way to pay them. It really boils down to your willingness to do the right thing. Here is a novel thought: pay what you owe.
