#Judgment #Debt #LicenseRevoked
Hey there, I can totally understand how frustrating and overwhelming it must be to deal with a judgment that is affecting your ability to drive and your financial situation. It’s important to take steps to address this issue and find a solution that works for you.
Here are some steps you can take to tackle the situation:
Understanding the Judgment:
1. Take the time to thoroughly review the judgment against you. Make sure you understand the details of the case and why you were held responsible for the accident.
2. If you are unsure about any of the legal jargon or terms used in the judgment, consider seeking advice from a legal professional or a free legal aid service in your area.
Exploring Legal Options:
1. Since you mentioned that you are unable to afford a lawyer, look into pro bono legal services or legal aid clinics that may be able to provide you with free or low-cost legal assistance.
2. Additionally, consider reaching out to organizations that offer legal assistance to individuals facing financial hardship, such as Legal Aid Society or your state’s bar association.
Seeking Financial Assistance:
1. Explore payment options with the plaintiff or the court that issued the judgment. They may be willing to work out a payment plan that fits your current financial situation.
2. Look into debt relief programs or financial counseling services that can help you navigate your debt and come up with a plan to repay it.
3. Consider speaking with a credit counselor who can provide guidance on managing your debt and improving your financial situation.
Regaining Your Driver’s License:
1. In order to get your driver’s license reinstated, you will likely need to settle the judgment against you or reach an agreement with the plaintiff on a payment plan.
2. Contact your local DMV to inquire about the steps you need to take to reinstate your license. They may require you to provide proof of compliance with the judgment or take a defensive driving course.
Moving Forward:
1. Take proactive steps to address the judgment against you and work towards resolving the issue.
2. Consider seeking support from friends, family, or community resources to help you navigate this challenging situation.
3. Remember that you are not alone in facing financial difficulties and there are resources available to assist you.
Remember, it’s important to stay proactive and seek assistance when dealing with legal and financial challenges. By taking the necessary steps and seeking support, you can work towards resolving the judgment against you and regaining your driver’s license. If you have any more questions or need further guidance, feel free to reach out. Good luck! 💪🚗🛠️
You should contact your car insurance and ask them for help. They should have been defending you if had proper notice of the lawsuit from the beginning.
Was it your car that was in the accident?
Ultimately you need to go to the court that issued the judgment and explain that you never got notice of the lawsuit because someone else used your name. ASAP. Unwinding a judgment gets harder as time passes. Ideally you would have an atty represent you (and it should be a relatively inexpensive matter) but if you can’t afford one, do it yourself.
Also your atty or you should immediately contact the attorney for the party that got the judgment and inform them of the mistake and that they will ultimately have to refund you any money collected on the judgment from you.
Don’t let this sit.
Of course I am not your lawyer and this is not legal advice.
Also, depending on the county you are living, some of them offer legal service at a very small fee. Please explore your county’s website for legal service options. Ask your friends or relatives about this.
NAL. In addition to the legal steps, I’d suggest putting a lock on your credit and filing a police report for identity theft, which you may need for documentation.
It’s also incredibly important that you do not pay ANYTHING toward the judgement, because that indicates you accept the debt as legitimate. I can’t emphasize this enough. Even if you get threatening letters/phone calls from debt collectors asking you to put a little toward the debt while it gets sorted or terrible things will happen to you, don’t do it.
You really need to go straight to the police and file a report for identity theft. Explain what’s happened and see what they advise you to do.
legal aid
Solid advice from everyone. You have a lot of people to contact, but the more you get done the easier everything will become. This is the rough order it should go in. File a police report, do that now. If you are not sure of the number dial 911 and explain you want to file a police report. You don’t have an immediate emergency, but need to know who to contact to file a report.
With the police report number contact your car insurance and explain your situation. They also have 24 hr numbers. You should also have your judgement (court and case number) info you can share.
If you haven’t already, lock your credit. You can do all or most of that tonight. Tomorrow you can get in touch with the court. The court clerks can be an invaluable source of knowledge and information. If you are not sure what else or what next to do, they can give you some suggestions.
This is all manageable, it just feels overwhelming. Get started and you will feel like you are getting more control over it all.
Good luck and I’m sorry you are having to deal with this. But it’s going to work out.
Call your local Legal Services program immediately.
File a police report for identity theft. Put a fraud alert of your credit reports. Then contact the law firm that obtained the judgment – their information should be on the judgment – and explain the situation to them – send them whatever proof they request and ask them to vacate the judgment. If no law firm and it’s an individual – contact them. If this doesn’t work then contact your own car insurance and homeowner’s insurance. As a last resort contact your local legal aid society.
File a police report ASAP. Also look into legal aid in your area. They help people with legal representation, regardless of your financial situation
Where are you? It’s easier to give advice if we know what city you’re in. Also, what court is it? And how did you learn about the judgement?
You can get this fixed. Google indigent legal services in your county, and call any number you see. If you can’t get help that way, your first step will be to go to the clerks office of whatever court issued it, and explain what happened. Make sure you explain you were never served with any papers before seeing a judgement. Ask them about next steps. Sometimes they’re helpful, sometimes they’re not, but hopefully you find some one who is.
Reporting identity theft as others suggested is also a good idea.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this.
Report the identity theft to the police and the judgment. After you get the police report, send a copy to the agency that handled the crash and the court that issued the judgment.
Request a hearing before the judge that handled the original matter and explain you never received notice, you weren’t involved in the crash and that someone stole your identity.
You may be able to get an attorney to help and sue the police department for not doing due diligence on the driver(s) involved. As a retired officer, we were able to pull DL pictures and you’d need both a name and dob. If they give both your name and dob, a valid license would show up, but the pic wouldn’t match and it’s likely someone close to you.
Did you lend you car to anyone? Were any of your friends involved in a crash that you know of that would have the information? Was the agency that handled the crash local to you? Can you prove your whereabouts at the time of the crash i.e. work files, pay stubs, etc.
Lawsuits generally happen within 2 years of the incident (state laws vary). You can usually find the Docket information online as they’re public information. If the suit was filed locally, check your state court website for the Docket sheets which will have the person who filed the suit, you as the responded and the court where it was filed. Depending on your state, that could be either a magisterial court or a superior court. In PA, it would have been a common Pleas (county) court issue as that amount exceeds the limit for magisterial district courts.
Contact legal aid. At a minimum, they can probably offer some guidance. They may provide free legal assistance.
Go to court. The clerks should be helpful and may walk you through it. You will need to explain that you never received notice of the suit and that you have a “meritorious defense, ” in this case that it wasn’t you. Perhaps swear to where you were at the time of the accident. If the victim got the “name,” they must have seen the car, which I assume is different from yours.
It is standard (in NY) that the court will stay, or stop, any collection efforts. Generally you can get such an order quickly and it’ll tell you who must be served with the order and by when. The court will separate for you and the other side to appear and argue. Good luck.
I am not your attorney and am merely describing how I understand it works.
NYL. Call legal aid; you may qualify for help or at least get practical information. Additionally, file a police report. In a very broad sense, you’ll likely have to file motions to deal with the judgment. The case may not go away completely, and it would require a vigorous defense. Call the court and get as much info as you can, and find out how to obtain copies of any documents filed with the court.
Is it possible the owner of the parked car is affiliated with the person that hit the car? An elaborate scam perhaps
Fake account. Fake story.