Who to talk to to get $ back

Question

I am owed a bit over $7,000 from an individual who has been avoiding paying me back for a few months. If i have a clear voice recording of him admitting he owes me the money is that a fairly safe bet that i will win? I don't have extra cash for a lawyer, but who can I talk to to get the process started of recovering my money? I'm in Texas if that matters.

Answer 1

Yes, it does matter where you are located - collections statutes vary from State to State.

Collecting any sum greater than $2,500 in Texas (maximum jurisdictional amount of the "Small Claims" court) will probably require the services of a lawyer - for detailed advice if nothing else.  You will probably need to file suit in a County Court at Law (in certain urban counties) or District Court (most counties in Texas).  Unfortunately, our system of jurisprudence is just not "user friendly" for the layman and if you do it wrong you run the risk of losing all of the money.

PS - And getting a judgment in your favor IS not the same as actually collecting the money.  Once you get a judgment (Order by the Court) you still have to "Levy Execution" on said judgment - and that can be more of a challenge than getting the judgment in the first place.