Part of the strategy used by the debtor is to hide assets. He normally will also try to deceive you into believing that he doesn’t have the income or assets sufficient to pay the judgment. Some of these guys are really sneaky. Many times they have a long history of not paying judgments or other debt that they owe.

In many many cases, the judgment debtor does have the financial resources sufficient to pay the judgment, at least on a payment plan, if not in a lump sum. Just listening to them though would lead you to think that collecting your judgment is a hopeless cause.

In order to get the whole truth about their income and assets it is possible to use a legal tool known as “Interrogatories.” This is a method where you have a list of questions served upon your debtor that he is obligated to answer truthfully and completely. He will have a strict time limit in which to reply to the questions and return the fully answered interrogatories. You will need to look at the Court’s Rules of Procedure to find out how interrogatories are properly handled. Different states and courts allow different numbers of questions to be included. The time limit for the debtor to respond will vary in different jurisdictions also. Obviously you need to apply this judgment collection tool in full compliance with the rules of your court.

Interrogatories are used effectively to get to the facts about your debtor and his finances that he wishes you would never be able to find out. You can ask questions about his employment and income. You can inquire about his bank accounts, real estate, stocks and bonds, or just about anything else that you need to know. If your debtor fails to comply with the court rules or if he is untruthful in answering the questions, the judge may take punitive action against him. He could be found to be in contempt of court. If your debtor isn’t forthcoming in his responses to interrogatories, it gives you an avenue for the courts to force his compliance or he will face unwanted lgal consequences.

I love interrogatories. It is a fantastic method of gaining the upper hand over a debtor who is reluctant to reveal the facts about his ability to satisfy the money judgment. The knowledge gained by implementing this tool can be tremendously helpful in your quest to discover assets and income. And it is so very encouraging to know that the debtor can’t really afford to ignore full compliance and truthful response. When you are moving to enforce your judgment, pertinent information acquired through interrogatories can be enlightening, encouraging, and effective.