A friend borrowed money from me and won't pay it back. I took her to small claims court and won the judgement but she says she isn't working...

Question

A friend borrowed money from me and won't pay it back. I took her to small claims court and won the judgement but she says she isn't working and can't pay me back. I don't believe her. How can I find out if she is working? Is there some other way to get my money back if she isn't working? Is there a limitation on the time that I can collect my money if she were to begin working again in order to garnish her checks? Thank you.

Answer

Generally speaking judgments are good for ten years but can be renewed for at least another ten years, perhaps more. However, keep in mind that there are specific rules for small claims so there might be special rules that I would have no reason to know about. The law is not clear in this area and attorneys cannot collect small claims judgments for clients or participate or appear in small court hearings. You should go the Michigan legislature website and search for small claims rules. You can also search online for the Michigan court rules that explain what can and cannot be done in small claims court.