Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in North Carolina
Judgment in Onslow County, NC
I moved out of the duplex I was renting back in March, upon purchasing my first home. Before moving and after verbally agreeing (my first mistake) to allow me to vacate early, my landlord had me served with an eviction notice. Ignorant to the legal ramifications of me not showing up to court, I ignored the whole thing as I had just purchased my own home. I regret doing this as now this is showing up on my credit report as a judgment in the amount of $800. I have the money to handle this, but I want the judgment removed from my credit report. What is the best way to go about handling this situation? Is it too late to request a hearing with a judge? Should I try to work with the landlord (actually a real estate company), or is this going to just be on my credit report regardless? HELP! It has really damaged my credit score.
1 Answer from Attorneys
I'm not an expert on credit report but it is a jusgment so it might stay in there for awhile. If you pay it, it might show paid wwhich might be slightly better. What you would need to do is negotiate with creditor to set aside default judgment and dismiss the case. In other words, pay in full if they agree to sign off on a joint motion to dismiss default judgment and then dismiss case - that might get it off there and if it doesn't, you should be able to dispute it in the future.