Judgment Liens

I am a business owner who has had several customers leave us with a $40,000 deficit. I haven't been able to keep up with my bills. Now I have a civil summons that I am going to respond to because of debt owed. I am an LLC and I have a business partner. The summons has my name on it. I am asking to work out a payment plan until we can get straightened out. My question is: What will happen if they don't agree to the payment plan? What will their next course of action be?

There are 6 family's that live on a private road which we maintain. We had gravel put on the road at a cost of $186 per family. There is one woman refusing to pay her share even though in her purchase agreement she agreed to pay an equal share for road maintenance. The deed was filed in the court house. She appears not to have a job, has 1 vehicle and 3 acres with a mobile home on it. Which I think she owns. I am trying to collect the money without spending a lot of money. The small claims court is heard by the clerk of court and requires a $225 deposit and my understanding is that even if you win they can not collect the money. You have to get a lawyer to collect. What is the best, least expensive way to collect the money if any?

I own a small business in Illinois. Last year I was under contract with a company from Switzerland to store & maintain their products for warranty support of their customers here in North America. In October, they exercised their option to terminate the contract. At that time I informed them that the owed me approximately $5,000.00 (These charges were determined in the original contractual agreement that they authored)for storage, maintenance, and service fees. At this time (January '10)they have failed to satisfy their commitment. I have approximately $80,000.00 of their product & equipment that I continue to store for them. The original contract did provide a definition of storage fees and all rates.I approached their attorney in December (12/14/09)(Who is located in the USA) with a detailed account of the funds requested. I have received no response since, with subsequent inquires to their attorney going unanswered.It is my intention to treat the property the same as would be abandoned property as if left in a strange facility.1) Can I place lien on this property at this time?At their request, the original contract was terminated in October.

In Tennessee, if a lien is placed against my home for credit card debt, what rights does this give the creditor? Are there homestead laws in TN that offer any protection? Any statute of limitations on the lien itself? Thanks.

I have a field service repair business in Liberty, Texas. Most of the time we travel to the work site or the customer's facility to repair the equipment. How do I protect my interests in getting paid for the labor and parts that were performed or used in the repair?