When I hear the words “I can’t pay”, I smile and think to myself, “Oh yes you can, and yes you will.”
As of November 2022 Utah’s unemployment rate was only 2.2% meaning that nearly 98% of Utahns are currently working and earning a regular income. So the reality is that the vast majority of people do have resources available to resolve their judgment, but for one reason or the other, they just do not pay. When someone states that they cannot resolve their judgment, the underlying message is usually one of the following:
Cause I don’t know how to pay that amount.
And I’d rather spend the money on other things.
Nor do I want to pay you.
Try, but you will never get a dime from me.
There is a distinct difference between a judgment debtor who does not know HOW to find or use the resources available to them versus one who simply REFUSES to do what it takes to pay. But no matter what the circumstance is as to why a judgment debtor is not paying their debt, I am usually looking to take involuntary legal actions (i.e. wage garnishment) against them.
If the debtor falls into the category of not knowing HOW to pay, they will usually call me after they have been garnished and I can walk them through the different suggestions I have to resolve the debt. I often help these debtors find resources they never knew existed and they frequently pay their debts off quickly and end up learning some financial responsibility along the way.
If the debtor falls into the “You will never get a dime from me” category, they usually do not come to the table to work out a resolution to the situation after being garnished. But that is okay with me. These debtors often end up paying much more than the other type of debtor because of the additional costs and interest that gets added to the judgment during the time they are busy trying not to pay.
So the next time your judgment debtor says, “I can’t pay”, will you get the true meaning of what they are saying?
