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How To Look Up the Legal Documents In Your Case

What is a Civil Judgment in Minnesota?

  • A judgment is a court’s official decision on how to resolve a controversy between two parties. Usually this means that the court orders one party to pay money to the other party. Winning a Judgment does not automatically cause the debt to get paid.
  • In Minnesota, most judgments are awarded to debt collectors for unpaid credit cards, cell phone bills, repossessions, bank loans, and medical bills.
  • Most judgments are “default judgments” which means that the judge decided the winner because one side didn’t do anything to fight the lawsuit. The court system expects people to fight the lawsuits BEFORE there is a judgment.
  • A default judgment is often still valid even if you didn’t know about it. The Plaintiff only has to serve it on a responsible adult at the Defendant’s last known address. This can be handing it to a roommate or leaving it with someone claiming to be you.
  • A judgment allows the Plaintiff to garnish up to 25% of the net of the Defendant’s paycheck and to freeze any bank accounts with the Defendant’s name on them.
  • A judgment is automatically a lien on any land or houses you own in the county.
  • A judgment lasts for 10 years and can be renewed for another 10 years.

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MN Debt Attorney Explains Your 4 Options For Dealing With A Judgment

Four Options for Dealing With a Judgment In Minnesota:

1. SETTLE THE JUDGMENT BY PAYING A LUMP SUM

You can make a deal with the law firm that sued you. This is called settling the debt. They will often make a deal where you pay them 50-70% of the balance all at once in a lump sum. If you do this, then you owe taxes on whatever debt is forgiven and other collectors might even sue you while you are paying off this judgment.

2. FIGHT THE JUDGMENT IN COURT

If you have proof that the judgment is for a debt that isn’t yours or that you paid already, then you can hire a lawyer to try and vacate the judgment. You only have a short time after the judgment is entered to attempt this. The court system is set up for people to fight the lawsuit when the lawsuit is first started, not after the judgment is entered. At this point in time, the judge already felt that the creditor won, so this will be a difficult battle.

3. IGNORE THE JUDGMENT

You can ignore it. If they never find your job or bank accounts and you don’t have a house or any other land, the judgment is not very powerful. They can’t use it to arrest you, or physically harm you or your family. Technically they can come to your residence and auction off a second car and certain other items like collectibles, firearms, motorcycles, campers, and trailers. But they rarely do this because it is difficult to arrange in practice.

4. VOID THE JUDGMENT BY FILING BANKRUPTCY

Bankruptcy voids the judgment completely and stops bank freezes, garnishments, and liens on houses right from the first day of the bankruptcy. Walker and Walker can file the bankruptcy for no attorney’s fees up front, and we deal with the courts for you.

Bankruptcy is almost always the cheapest and easiest option because you don’t owe taxes, and it’s much cheaper than hiring a lawyer to fight the judgment in court. It is also much more likely to succeed. We can tell as soon as the free consultation whether a bankruptcy would be successful or not.

Most people don’t consider bankruptcy because they are worried about their credit scores. Let me ask you this. What’s your credit score now? What will it be like if 25% of your paycheck starts to get garnished? Most people we work with have a 720 score only 2 years after bankruptcy. If you have judgments, then this is probably better than your credit score is right now. You can get car loans 1 day after filing, credit cards only 2 months after filing, and a mortgage after only two years.

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Minneapolis, MN 55409

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Brooklyn Park, MN 55443

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1112 Rice Street,
St. Paul, MN 55117

651-731-4357 Get Directions

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Blaine, MN 55434

763-780-4357 Get Directions

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Mankato, MN 56001

507-497-9179 Get Directions

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4229 W Frontage Rd Ste 5B
Rochester, MN 55901

507-738-1100 Get Directions

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4202 E Superior St, Suite 102,
Duluth, MN 55804

218-979-4220 Get Directions

Walker & Walker Law Offices, PLLC, designated a debt relief agency by an Act of Congress and the President of the United States, has proudly assisted consumers seeking relief under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code for over 40 years.

This website is for informational purposes only. The information contained should not be interpreted as legal advice. Only a local attorney with actual knowledge of your personal situation can give you legal advice. Viewing this site website does not create an attorney/client relationship.

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