Walk It Through: The Judgment and the Truck
A small claim lost, a collector who calls the debtor a criminal, a garnishment, and a work truck.
A painter is sued in small claims for an unpaid credit card balance well under $6,500.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A consumer debt after a small claims judgment. Bankruptcy, a secured loan on the truck, and a federal debt collection claim are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Exempt propertyProperty a creditor may not take to satisfy a judgment, such as one vehicle up to $7,000, tools of a trade up to $10,000, and household goods kept for use.
- GarnishmentTaking part of a debtor's wages to pay a judgment, limited to what federal law allows and to $250 a year for each creditor when earnings are not expected to exceed $12,000.
- Small claimA civil action for a money judgment of $6,500 or less, apart from interest and costs, along with eviction cases.