adoragurl
Mar 22, 2008, 09:53 PM
I have a scenario here in California that I really need some help with.
I had a judgment from 2001, which I just paid in full and went to the court to file the satisfaction of judgment. While I was there I find that I have ANOTHER judgment that I was completely unaware of!! I'm in the process of cleaning up my credit, and right smack dab in the middle of buying a house. My mortgage approval was conditional that I pay off the first judgment as it showed up on my credit report. Needless to say, I was dumbfounded when I found out yesterday that I had a judgment from 2005 which I never knew about. I had moved a little over a year before they supposedly served me with the court papers, and on the paperwork it says that they served me by substitute method of mailing to my old address?? I hadn't lived there in over a year and I had put in a change of address, but I think that they expire after a year.. Either way, I don't know who this person is that's suing me - It's an attorney listed for Melville Acquistition Co... Never have heard of them, so I'm assuming that they must have bought a debt of mine from years ago.
My questions are as follows:
1) Do I have any recourse other than to pay them now? The judgment was filed 05/2005 and because it was never reported to the credit reporting agencies, I never knew about it.
2) If I have to pay it, what are the chances that they will accept a lesser amount?
3) Should I contact my mortgage lender and let them know what I found and notify them that I'm in the process of trying to resolve this? I'm SO afraid that this is going to hurt my chances of buying a house. I've worked for several years trying to clean up my credit after some poor choices and a divorce that nearly sent me bankrupt. My escrow is supposed to close July 31st and I want to make sure that nothing stands in the way!!
Just when you think that you've finally gotten things straightened out, something comes crawling out of the woodwork. It really is depressing.
Any advice would certainly be appreciated.
I had a judgment from 2001, which I just paid in full and went to the court to file the satisfaction of judgment. While I was there I find that I have ANOTHER judgment that I was completely unaware of!! I'm in the process of cleaning up my credit, and right smack dab in the middle of buying a house. My mortgage approval was conditional that I pay off the first judgment as it showed up on my credit report. Needless to say, I was dumbfounded when I found out yesterday that I had a judgment from 2005 which I never knew about. I had moved a little over a year before they supposedly served me with the court papers, and on the paperwork it says that they served me by substitute method of mailing to my old address?? I hadn't lived there in over a year and I had put in a change of address, but I think that they expire after a year.. Either way, I don't know who this person is that's suing me - It's an attorney listed for Melville Acquistition Co... Never have heard of them, so I'm assuming that they must have bought a debt of mine from years ago.
My questions are as follows:
1) Do I have any recourse other than to pay them now? The judgment was filed 05/2005 and because it was never reported to the credit reporting agencies, I never knew about it.
2) If I have to pay it, what are the chances that they will accept a lesser amount?
3) Should I contact my mortgage lender and let them know what I found and notify them that I'm in the process of trying to resolve this? I'm SO afraid that this is going to hurt my chances of buying a house. I've worked for several years trying to clean up my credit after some poor choices and a divorce that nearly sent me bankrupt. My escrow is supposed to close July 31st and I want to make sure that nothing stands in the way!!
Just when you think that you've finally gotten things straightened out, something comes crawling out of the woodwork. It really is depressing.
Any advice would certainly be appreciated.