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Wage Garnishment Case Study

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Wage Garnishment Screening We begin working an account for 6 months through our standard collection process. Then, if a former resident has the means to pay the balance, but is unwilling to pay, we start the garnishment review process. We examine factors such as employment history, current residence, etc. If the former resident meets our qualifications for garnishment, we include them in a report provided to our clients. Upon client approval, we notify our network of attorneys to draft the necessary paperwork, and begin the wage garnishment process. Wage Garnishment Process 1. Obtaining a Judgment: As with all files that are reviewed for garnishment, there must be a judgment in order to move forward. Judgments are awarded during the eviction process, but for a standard move out, a judgement must be filed in the court system. Charges of this type are deemed to be fronted by collection agencies, but in actuality, the fees are paid with money collected from previous liquidations. Also, the courts typically do not award judgments for the full amount owed to clients. A judge decides which charges will be applied to the judgement. Case in point of a recent file for judgment: Jane Doe was submitted to collections for final balance of $2,000 (rent $1200, move out fees $600, cleaning fees $200), and the judge only awarded a judgment of …show more content…

If the former resident files for protection under the bankruptcy laws; either with a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 filing, the garnishment process stops. Often times, these debtors already have other bad credit, other creditors pursuing them, and possibly other garnishments already in place. Besides the possibility of quitting their job, filing for bankruptcy relief puts an immediate hold on our action, resulting in the waste of the spending of the filing fees. For this reason, we are extremely selective as to which former residents we recommend this action

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