How Do I Force a Creditor to Dismiss a Settled Case?

Full question:

An atty revived a judgment from 1989 in 2009 in NJ. A credit collection agency said for me to send them 150.00 to have the judgment dismissed. I never received a copy. Can I file a motion here in FL to have this dismissed? I was never served. The revival of judgment was filed in NJ in 2009. I have lived in FL since 1995. What is my best course of action on this? The judgment was revived one week prior to the expiration of 20 years. I was never notified of any of this until recently. It has never showed on my credit and I received no calls or mail on this in over 25 years. A supposed debt of 1400.00 is now 10,000.00. What would you advise?

• Category: Judgment Liens
• Date: 04/07/2025
• State: Florida

Answer:

If a judgment was won and a judgment lien was filed against you in NJ that is where a motion to dismiss must be made. It may also be possible to make a claim in FL, depending on the circumstances involved, such as the contract terms regarding where litigation is to occur and where the transaction occurred. Venue is the local area in which a court, that has jurisdiction, may try a case. Jurisdiction is the geographical area within which a court has the right and power to operate. A court system may have jurisdiction to take a case in a wide geographical area, but the proper venue for the case may be one place within that area for the convenience of the parties. Jurisdiction is subject to fixed rules; however, venue is often left to the discretion of the judge.

Venue is the legally proper or most convenient place where a particular case should be filed or handled. Every state has rules determining the proper venue for different types of lawsuits. Normally, the venue in a criminal case is the judicial district or county where the crime was committed. The state, county or district in which a lawsuit is filed or a hearing or trial in that action is conducted is called the forum. For various reasons either party to a lawsuit or prosecution may move (ask) for a change of venue, which is up to the discretion of a judge in the court where the case or prosecution was originally filed. Reasons for such a request may include a clause in a contract stating that any action must be brought in a certain other venue, or pretrial publicity may be claimed to have tainted the potential jurors in that venue from rendering an impartial judgment. Difficulty in obtaining competent representation is generally not a reason to support a change of venue.

We are unsure of whether you paid money to have the case dismissed and whether the agency you sent payment to was authorized to settle the case. If so, there may be a breach of settlement contract claim against them. We suggest you contact a local attorney who can review all the facts and documents involved.

In some cases, a debtor may be able to negotiate a settlement with the creditor, although this is more difficult once a suit has been filed. In some cases, the creditor may settle for a lesser amount if the debtor is insolvent, since a promise to pay something is better than collecting nothing. These types of agreements are called an accord and satisfaction. If it is possible, a debtor should get a release included in such an agreement so that the creditor may not pursue the full balance of the debt claimed.

If you need help negotiating with your creditors, consider contacting a nonprofit debt counseling organization. You can find a list of counseling agencies by location at the website of the U.S. Trustee, www.usdoj.gov/ust (select "Credit Counseling and Debtor Education.") The federal government has authorized the agencies on this list to provide counseling to debtors considering bankruptcy. However, don't pay anyone to "fix" your credit.