Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Pennsylvania

Re: Questions on an old judgement issued against me

In order to answer I need to know if this was compulsory arb thru the court system, or private arb not thru the ct system. If it was thru the ct system, interest is 6%/year. Since plaintiff is claiming arb fees, my guess is this was private arb, not thru the court system. In that case, it depends on the arb agreement, or if the arb award was entered as a judgment in court. If there was a ct judgment you need to make sure that the plaintiff provides you with an appropriate Satisfaction of Judgment form which you need to file with the court to release the judgment. Also, you may be able to negotiate to pay the plaintiff a certain amount in exchange for the Satisfaction. You should also obtain a General Release, signed by the plaintiff. You should consult with an attorney to make sure you receive the necessary documents to protect your interests. Good luck!

Re: Questions on an old judgement issued against me

I agree that you need to tell us more about the arbitration. Generally legal fees are not recoverable in Pennsylvania unless by statute or contract. Interest on a judgment is 6% and costs of court do need to be satisfied. Since there was more than one arbitrator, since the amount of arbitrator fees looks like what most counties pay the arbitrators for a single case, and since it sounds like a collection case I'm guessing that this was compulsory arbitration through your County Court of Common Pleas. If I'm right on both counts, the agreement that you signed when you incurred the credit may provide for attorneys' fees but you want to check to make sure that wasn't included in the award. Usually the contracts provide for 20% and the number they are asking looks close to that.