You’ve been awarded a judgment against your debtor for the collection of the debt. Knowing that it is now your responsibility to collect that debt, you contact a collections attorney to assist you in enforcing the judgment. But what happens if your debtor moves to another state or owns property elsewhere?
The majority of U.S. states have enacted what’s known as the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act. What it does is create standard procedures for going after a debtor’s assets or properties across state lines. Here’s the basic process:
- Determine what state and county the debtor has relocated to.
- File your judgment in that state and county by mailing a certified copy of the original judgment to that county’s court clerk along with an affidavit showing the name and address of both you and the debtor.
- Once the court receives the documents, your filing is now part of the court record. At this point the court will notify the debtor of the judgment filing, or you might need to serve notice to the debtor yourself.
- Once this process is completed you may then proceed with collection efforts in accordance with the collections laws of that state.
If a judgment in your state was awarded by a federal court, it may be enforced by registering it in the federal district court which serves the region in the state where the debtor relocated to. You can then pursue collection efforts in the same manner as mentioned above.
The Jayaram Law routinely and successfully assists its clients in their business-to-business (b2b) collection needs. We take pride in obtaining payment on accounts receivables without fracturing critical business relationships or engaging in time-consuming and costly litigation efforts.
If you need business debt collection services conducted in a professional manner, contact our B2B (business-to-business) debt collection law firm by calling 312.454.2859 or visiting www.jayaramlaw.com.