Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Pennsylvania

Re: Best way to collect?

I'm sure you have heard the old adage "you can't get blood from a stone." That is, if she has no money or other assets, you can't collect anything. The best way to collect is to attach money she may have deposited into a bank account, which is in her name only. If you can find-out if she has a bank account, the court will assist you in preparing the necessary papers to attach the account. However, you can only get the amount which is on deposit at the time the bank is served with the attachment documents. This may be far less than the amount which is owed to you. In addition to bank accounts, if she owns a car you can force a sale, unless there is an outstanding loan. Collections can be legally complicated, especially if there is no money in a bank account. Be advised that in Pa. judgments are only good for 5 years, and then lapse. Prior to 5 years you can aske the court to renew the judgment for another 5 years, and so on forever. That way, hopefully eventually she may want to borrow money & will be forced to pay off your judgment in order to obtain credit from a lender.