[Concerned in Alabama]

Hello everyone. A few years ago, I sought the assistance of a debt reduction company. My unsecured debt was around $89,000. It was tough to admit that I had gotten myself into such a predicament. Even tougher was seeking help to rectify my situation. All of my credit cards have been settled except for one. This last card was sold three different times and for a short while dropped from my credit report altogether. It finally resurfaced when an attorney sent me a letter about it. The debt reduction company advised me to let them handle this last one as well. The amount on this card is around $19,000. The other cards have settled for around 40 cents on the dollar so I was hopeful that this one would do the same. Today, I received a cost bill for a judgement for just over $20,000. I am not sure what this means exactly as far as what will happen next. I will send a copy of the judgement to the debt reduction company and ask for their advice on my next step(s). Does anyone know about Alabama law concerning judgements?

Concerned in Alabama

[aaron]

If the creditor had your address to serve you, how did it get to the point that a judgment was entered against you without your being aware that you were being sued? (Or was the letter you received accompanied by a lawsuit?)

[Concerned in Alabama]

All of this seems to have skipped some intermediate steps. After the credit card debt had been sold three times, it disappeared from my credit report completely for several months. No one seemed to know what had happened to it. I was told that the last company that had it had gone out of business. One day, I received a letter from a local attorney about the debt. It was not sent certified mail or anything so they have no way of knowing if I ever got the letter or not. The debt consolidation company asks that I let them handle everything so I did. I sent them a copy of the letter. I told them how much I had in a savings account that could be used to settle the debt. I am not sure exactly what transpired between them and the attorney. All was quiet for 2 weeks then I received this 'cost bill' concerning the judgement. Will there be an actual judgement paper served? All of this is overwhelming to me. I have never gone through anything like this. Any idea what will happen next?

Concerned in Alabama

[aaron]

Check the court file. You should have been served with the lawsuit.

[Concerned in Alabama]

I have sent the debt reduction company a copy of the 'cost bill'. This is not the actual judgement however I am certain it is looming out there somewhere. I want to hear their explanation regarding what happened. They are closed over the weekend (of course). I just hope I am not served the judgement while at work one day this week. Talk about total embarassment !!