There are multiple ways for creditors to hold debtors accountable. In some cases, direct collection activities, including phone calls and letters, can inspire people to establish payment arrangements. Other times, people insist they cannot fulfill their financial obligations.
In such cases, creditors may need to take legal action. They can sue the debtor and secure a judgment. Those trying to avoid financial responsibility might move in response to losing a collections lawsuit. If that happens, creditors may need to domesticate the judgment after locating the debtor elsewhere.
Foreign judgments hold legal authority in Florida
Technically, a judgment issued by the civil courts is usually only enforceable in the jurisdiction where the judge issued the judgment. Someone who lost a creditor lawsuit in South Carolina might cross state lines and move to Florida to avoid wage garnishment or attempts to secure liens.
Thankfully, creditors do not need to repeat the process of seeking a new judgment against the debtor in that scenario. Instead, they can take action in the Florida courts to domesticate the prior judgment. With the right paperwork and documentation, it is possible to ask before the courts to recognize the validity of a judgment initially approved in another jurisdiction.
A Florida civil court judge can agree to domesticate a judgment issued by a judge in another state. At that point, the creditor has the option of collecting on the debt in Florida using the same tools, such as garnishments and liens, that they intended to use in the other state initially.
Reviewing a debt itself and the prior conduct of a debtor with a skilled legal team can help frustrated creditors assert themselves when people refuse to fulfill their financial obligations. Florida laws allow creditors to domesticate and enforce judgments issued elsewhere when debtors move to the Sunshine State to avoid financial responsibility.