Q: On the Judgment Enforcer’s form, there is no mention of the money I already spent trying to enforce this judgment – why is that?

A: The Assignment Of Judgment form is designed to match what court clerks expect. Mentioning the costs you already spent is something that (for some reason) court clerks usually do not like to see on this form.

If you (court-approved) spent money, and filed the right forms with the court (within the time limits to do so) to file your recoverable costs – what you spent can be added to the judgment debtor’s debt. The Judgment Enforcer will try to enforce all that the debtor owes, including what you spent, if possible. Discuss this situation with the Judgment Enforcer.

Q. I spent a lot of money trying to collect from my debtor before sending my judgment to you. Can these costs be reimbursed at some point?

A: Whether previous costs can be recovered – depends on the debtor, what the costs were, the wording on the judgment, time limits, and which State.

For example, in California certain costs can be added to the judgment debtor’s debt using a MC-12 form – if such costs are incurred, claimed, and endorsed by the court within 2 years. Other states have different laws.

When possible, Judgment Enforcers try to add your previous costs, and all new recovery costs, to the debtor’s debt, and try (sometimes eventually) to make the debtor pay them.