There are federal regulations and unique state laws that determine what collection activity a business can pursue. When a debtor has not made a concerted and sustained effort to repay what they owe, their creditors may take them to civil court.
A judge can review the documentation from the case and award the business a judgment. That debt-related judgment could help with debt collection by letting the company garnish the debtor’s wages.
Some people subject to a debt-related judgment move from one state to another to avoid collection activity. If someone recently moved to Florida while subject to a judgment in favor of your business, domesticating the judgment could be a better option than taking them to court again.
Domestication will probably be faster
When you have tracked a non-paying debtor to Florida after securing a judgment in another state, you likely don’t want any delays between when you locate them and when you start collecting on the debt. Serving someone with notice of another lawsuit could give them an opportunity to flee yet again, and you may have to wait weeks before your hearing in court.
Domesticating the existing judgment won’t necessarily require serving that individual again or re-litigating the debt itself. You may be able to more quickly start garnishing their wages and potentially collecting some of the money owed before they try to avoid responsibility again. The law in Florida allows for a relatively straightforward process when a business with a valid judgment from another state wants to take action against someone now living in Florida.
Taking the necessary steps to domesticate a foreign judgment from another state can help your business finally collect on an unpaid debt.