Considering a motion to vacate judgement I was unaware of - TN

Eph512mom

New Member
Jurisdiction
Tennessee
I received a subpoena last month for a debt account I thought was past the statute of limitations (last payment in middle of 2018) This particular debt was a payday loan at 24%
It turns out that they got a judgement on it in in the end of 2018. I may have been served but that time in my life I was experiencing and was trying to recover from circumstances that most would consider traumatic. (I do have legal documentation, police reports, PTSD diagnoses of these circumstances) would not have even been able to entertain the idea of dealing with it properly. I could have filed bankruptcy at any time during most of the years in between, but most of my debts that I failed to pay just charged off and many of the banks went under, so it didn't seem like it would make sense by the time I recovered enough to consider issues tertiary to survival.

In any case, I was not aware of the judgement (I would think someone would have been required to send me the court order.) I complied with the subpoena (which was to get my bank account records and such so they could pursue garnishment) and the lawyer tried to make a settlement offer. The balance he presented me with included the judgement amount ($2k) plus a bunch of fees and accrued interest at 24%. For a initial balance that was $1k... they want something like $6k.

I offered to settle for the amount that would include the judgement plus post judgement interest (about 7%) but they declined. The lawyer said he would take it to the client but he wasn't authorized to settle for less than 75%. So, here's my questions - Is it even legal for the creditor to sit on a judgement with no notification, incorrect information sent to credit bureaus, and just let the interest accrue for 7 years? What kinds of justification/evidence would I need to succeed at a motion to vacate?
 
Is it even legal for the creditor to sit on a judgement with no notification, incorrect information sent to credit bureaus, and just let the interest accrue for 7 years?

Yes.

What kinds of justification/evidence would I need to succeed at a motion to vacate?

Probably none.

I'll bet they have evidence of service that they filed with the court.

A statute of limitations is a deadline for filing a lawsuit. However, the statute of limitations must be raised as an affirmative defense in response to a summons and complaint.

If they filed late, it was up to you to respond and get the case dismissed. You didn't do that.

A lot of the current amount is likely attorney fees which you probably agreed to pay in the payday loan contract.

Sorry about the bleak news.

You might want to consult an attorney. A motion to set aside a judgment is not a DIY project.
 
Is it even legal for the creditor to sit on a judgement with no notification, incorrect information sent to credit bureaus, and just let the interest accrue for 7 years?

Putting aside the bit about "incorrect information sent to credit bureaus," I'm not sure why you'd think it might not be legal for a creditor to sit on a judgment. As far as "no notification," you wrote that your life circumstances at the time were such that you "would not have even been able to entertain the idea of dealing with it properly," so I'm wondering why you think that "no notification" was made.

Obviously, it isn't legal to knowingly report false information to the credit bureaus, but your post is silent about that. What "incorrect information" do you believe was sent?


What kinds of justification/evidence would I need to succeed at a motion to vacate?

Have you read the applicable rule? It says that a motion to vacate "shall be made within a reasonable time, and for reasons (1) and (2) not more than one year after the judgment, order or proceeding was entered or taken." Tenn. R. Civ. Proc., Rule 60.02 It seems that Rule 60.07 may open up an additional possibility, but you'd need to do some case research to see if that's viable.

The amount in dispute doesn't seem to make hiring a lawyer worthwhile, but you're obviously free to do so. Beyond that, your options are to keep trying to negotiate or take your chances with a potential garnishment.
 

Ask a Question

Back
Top