How to collect a default judgement in NJ

[Mephisto666]

We're in NJ. On 10/19/18 we were awarded a default judgement totaling $792.00 against a furniture store. Our attempts to contact the store manager to collect the money have been repeatedly ignored. Our attorney advised us to contact the Hudson County sheriff's office to collect, but when I called their office they referred me back to the court in Jersey City. The man I spoke to there referred me to the booklet we were given in court with instructions on how to collect. The problem is that the instructions apply to collecting from an individual, not a business. We can't have a lien placed against personal property or real estate, we can't have wages garnished and we have no way of finding out what bank the business holds accounts with. I'm getting a runaround and no closer to collecting our award. Suggestions, please?

 

[Zigner]

Type the following in to your favorite web search engine: How do I collect a small claims judgment from a business in New Jersey?

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

The easiest way to find out what bank the place uses is to have someone go in and buy something with a check. When the check is deposited it will be marked by the bank where they do business.

 

[quincy]

We're in NJ. On 10/19/18 we were awarded a default judgement totaling $792.00 against a furniture store. Our attempts to contact the store manager to collect the money have been repeatedly ignored. Our attorney advised us to contact the Hudson County sheriff's office to collect, but when I called their office they referred me back to the court in Jersey City. The man I spoke to there referred me to the booklet we were given in court with instructions on how to collect. The problem is that the instructions apply to collecting from an individual, not a business. We can't have a lien placed against personal property or real estate, we can't have wages garnished and we have no way of finding out what bank the business holds accounts with. I'm getting a runaround and no closer to collecting our award. Suggestions, please?

Who did you sue - an individual or the business entity?

If you sued the business, contact their attorney. The store manager is not responsible for satisfying the judgment.

 

[Mephisto666]

We sued the business. I understand that the store manager isn't responsible for satisfying the judgment but he's the only contact we have. We're not trying to collect from him; we're trying to get him to contact the store owner. Even before we ended up suing, the store manager kept promising to contact the store owner to pay for the damages caused by their deliverymen before he ended up ghosting us and leaving us no choice but to sue for the money. They never even showed up for court. No idea who their attorney is, either.

 

[Mephisto666]

The easiest way to find out what bank the place uses is to have someone go in and buy something with a check. When the check is deposited it will be marked by the bank where they do business.

Good idea; unfortunately people aren't likely to pay for furniture with a check and we have no intention of ever buying anything from them again. Thanks for your suggestion, though.

 

[Zigner]

Did you pay by check? If so, you have their bank account information and can use that to levy the account. If not, do as suggested above and ask a friend to buy something using a check.

 

[quincy]

We sued the business. I understand that the store manager isn't responsible for satisfying the judgment but he's the only contact we have. We're not trying to collect from him; we're trying to get him to contact the store owner. Even before we ended up suing, the store manager kept promising to contact the store owner to pay for the damages caused by their deliverymen before he ended up ghosting us and leaving us no choice but to sue for the money. They never even showed up for court. No idea who their attorney is, either.

To whom did you serve your complaint?

 

[Zigner]

Good idea; unfortunately people aren't likely to pay for furniture with a check and we have no intention of ever buying anything from them again. Thanks for your suggestion, though.

Think smart on this - paying $40 for a knob (or whatever) in order to recover $792 is a no-brainer.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Good idea; unfortunately people aren't likely to pay for furniture with a check and we have no intention of ever buying anything from them again. Thanks for your suggestion, though.

People write checks at furniture stores every day. They have something in there in the $25-$50 range.

 

[quincy]

Here is a link to the New Jersey Department of Treasury where you can get information on a business registered in New Jersey:

https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/guiderequest.shtml

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Here is a link to the New Jersey Department of Treasury where you can get information on a business registered in New Jersey:

https://www.nj.gov/treasury/revenue/guiderequest.shtml

He already sued them an was awarded a judgment. It would surprise me if he didn't already have the info that site can provide.

 

[quincy]

He already sued them an was awarded a judgment. It would surprise me if he didn't already have the info that site can provide.

I would certainly think so ... but he seems to not know how to contact the owner of the store.

Depending on the amount of the judgment, he might want to consider turning the whole thing over to a collection agency.

 

[Zigner]

Judgment totaling $792, per the OP. Send someone to buy a knob or some furniture polish. Pay by check. Levy the account. The OP really does have enough information from this thread alone with which to figure this out.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

$792.00 and I the owner seems to be simply ignoring him.