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North Carolina Collections Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I executed a new deed adding wife a year ago in NC. Can an unsecured creditor of my wife attach a lien or sever the TBE?

The debt was incurred while we were married but before adding her name to the house. The debt is a credit card. I plan on settling with them but in the meantime I don't want our house to be in jeopardy.

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Mar 30, 2022

If the house is titled in both husband and wife names as "tenants by the entirety" or "as husband and wife", a judgment for money owed is not a lien on the property so long as the non debtor spouse is alive. Without seeing the deed itself, this is just general legal advice. If... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Bankruptcy, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I added wife's name to deed in NC a year ago. Can an unsecured creditor of my wife attach a lien or sever TBE.
Ben Corcoran
Ben Corcoran
answered on Mar 30, 2022

Without reviewing the documents I cannot give a definitive answer, but as a general rule, a claim against only one party is ineffective against TBE in NC.

1 Answer | Asked in Collections and Small Claims for North Carolina on
Q: I am trying to file an Application and Order for Extension of Time to Answer in Fayetteville nc (Cumberland County) ?

Im honestly confused do i go to the court house to fill out a form i cant find anything online?

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Feb 27, 2022

There is no official NC Courts/Administrative Office of the Courts "form" for this application. Check with the Clerk of Court, some clerks will give you the form over the counter. Otherwise, you will need to get it from Legal Aid or a local attorney. Reaching out to a local attorney is... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: Does waiting for surgery in a nursing home constitute normal place of residence

A person has been waiting for surgery for nine months. For one month he was unaware that his fractured hip surgery had become undone. He saw a trauma surgeon at a tertiary and he was advised of this separation and was referred to adult reconstructive surgery, he has to wait three months to see a... View More

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Jan 11, 2022

Rule 4j requires the summons and complaint be served either directly to the person or left with somone of suitable age and discretion at his "dwelling place or usual place of abode". Due to the person's length of time staying at the nursing facility, I think this would be proper... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I received a phone call yesterday about a payday loan from 2009 that was delinquent. One payment of $50 was made in 2018

The caller said they were going to garnish wages and file a judgment. In SC the statue of limitations is 3 yes. Can they still file this

judgment? The loan was in SC

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Dec 17, 2021

This is most likely a scam, because wage garnishment for debt is not allowed in either North Carolina or South Carolina. The collector threatened to do something it has no legal ability to do in an attempt to get you to pay. Google "payday loan collection scam" and see how common this... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I have hospital bill that I have been making payments for several months and they have accepted. Now is in collection.

Sent to collections without warning.is this legal ?

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Nov 24, 2021

Unfortunately, yes. At the time this bill was issued there was no requirement that a creditor warn you before sending an account to collections, even if they accepted what you could afford to pay for months. No creditor has any legal obligation to accept partial payments and they always have the... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: A civil judgment was placed against me on September 6, 2011.

A civil judgment was placed against me on September 6, 2011. I have not made payments on that judgment and still owe the money. Last week I received a civil summons regarding that judgment. I am assuming since it has been 10 years that they are “renewing” that judgment. If I do not respond... View More

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Nov 13, 2021

Yes, you are absolutely correct. You should contact an experienced collection defense and consumer bankruptcy attorney for specific advice. Bankrupty may be the best option - or not. You need to understand all of your options, and a bankruptcy attorney will explain the pros and cons of all options.

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Contracts and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I need to reply to a summons, 6 1/2 hours away in anther sate. Debt is time bared. How do I deal with this?

I had a loan from a bank in Tifton, GA. I paid as promised until I lost my job. Even then I paid them $ 3,000 in Aug of 2013. At that time I asked for the debt to be forgiven. I NEVER heard from the bank again. No letter, no payment book as promised, if, it would not be forgiven. No registered... View More

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Aug 27, 2021

You need to hire a lawyer in Georgia ASAP to handle this for you. If you do not answer, a default judgment will be entered against you, and you lose your right to plead your statute of limitation defense. Some loan contracts are signed "under seal", which gives a 10 year statute of... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Civil Litigation and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: Can I bring suit against a former business partner for outstanding & defaulted credit card debt tied to me?

I have statements showing charges tied to him, none of which were made by me. I need help recovering the funds and working with the credit card company to resolve this. After many hours spent on calls trying to determine how and when this happened (initially thinking the card was fraudulently... View More

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Jul 12, 2021

What did your partnership agreement say about who was to be responsible for what? Was the debt incurred for business purposes or personal purposes? In very general terms, you would resolve the issue with the bank that issued the credit card. Then, yes you could sue the former partner for paying... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Small Claims, Employment Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: Can I take legal action to receive the total compensation I should have been paid while working there?

While interviewing for a chain restaurant GM position mid Dec of 2019 I was asked what annual salary I would accept to leave where I was currently employed and work there. I asked for 65,000 and the district Mgr at that time who was interviewing me agreed, but he said they would need to start me at... View More

Kirton M. Madison
Kirton M. Madison
answered on Jun 16, 2021

Yes. You can take action. You should hurry though because you are running up against the statute of limitations. You should be able to use the documentation and text messages that you already have in your possession. You may take the restaurant to small claims court for the difference in the amount... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I have been served with a civil summons that needs a written response and im not sure what i am supposed to be writing.
Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on May 25, 2021

You have to either admit or deny each paragraph of the Complaint. You also need to plead any affirmative defenses that you may have. If you are being sued for a debt, I suggest you speak to an attorney experienced in those matters for specific advice. You may have legal defenses that you are not... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Contracts and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: Can I file a satisfaction of judgement. Paid amount in full about a month ago and have written notice without response?
Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on May 17, 2021

Only the creditor can file a Notice of Satisfaction of Judgment. If you sent your demand for them to notify the Court about the payment of judgment in writing, and you have proof of receipt of your written demand, and they have not filed it, contact an experienced consumer law attorney. You need to... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: The lien was released via debt cancelation, per the statute of limitations. Are they required to satisfy the judgement?

The judgment expires this October. The bank rep says they have the options of: 1)allowing the judgement to expire 2)extending the judgement for an additional 10 years and/or 3)requiring some type of payment to satisfy the judgement. She says they are not required to satisfy the judgement unless... View More

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on May 11, 2021

If you made no payments but received a Form 1099C cancellation of debt, your Judgment was not "satisfied" or "resolved" or "paid off". They can still legally collect on it even though on their books they deemed it "uncollectible" and wrote it off of their... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: Does a judgment HAVE to remain in court records for 10 years in NC?

I had a lien on my property associated with a judgment. The lien was satisfied but the judgment remains in the court records. It expires in 5 months. Is there any way to have it removed immediately, or does it have to expire. The creditor said they will NOT extend the judgement.

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on May 10, 2021

If you paid the judgment directly to the creditor, send them a letter (use certified mail or priority mail so you have proof of delivery and save a copy of your letter) demanding that they advise the Clerk of Court about the payments you made and advise the Clerk that the judgment is fully... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: If I received a Motion for Summary Judgement do I need to show up to that court date?

I’ve been working with a debt settlement company for almost two years and my discover acct is the account that I received a Court Calendar and a Motion for Summary Judgement. I’ve almost been making payments to my debt settlement company for two years as well.

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Apr 29, 2021

You won't go to jail if you don't show up, but a judgment will be entered against you for the full amount owed. In order to keep a judgment from being entered against you, you need to file an Affidavit which controverts one of the facts necessary for them to get a judgment. That needs to... View More

2 Answers | Asked in Consumer Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: How can someone properly respond to a summons that is out of state?

My SO lives with me in North Carolina for almost two and a half years now. Her mother was served a summons & complaint at her home in New York regarding a debt collector attempting to get a judgement against her. A couple of questions:

1. Was she properly served?

2. The summons... View More

Mr. Albert Loch Saslow
Mr. Albert Loch Saslow
answered on Feb 12, 2021

1. Depends on more facts, but for a snap judgment I'll say probably not. However, burden is on you to establish that proper service hasn't been made. If you don't raise the issue properly with the court, the creditor will likely just proceed on and get what they want. This will... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I'm in NC. DO I have to sign a Confession of Judgment agreement with a bill collector? I have the debt & have agreed to

Pay $77/month until the debt is paid. I don't want to sign this court document.

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Feb 9, 2021

If you want to keep that particular settlement agreement and they require it, yes, you have to sign it to keep the settlement agreement. If you refuse, they will proceed with the court process and obtain a judgment against you. A Confession of Judgment is a better alternative than a Consent... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Collections for North Carolina on
Q: How to renew a money judgment for back alimony in North Carolina when the defendant (debtor) is out of the country?

$50,000 plus interest judgment hits 10 year mark in 11 months. Debtor lives out of the country. Can I renew without serving them?

Mr. Albert Loch Saslow
Mr. Albert Loch Saslow
answered on Feb 1, 2021

No, "renewing" a judgment involves filing a new lawsuit. An essential part of any lawsuit is that you have to serve the defendant - regardless of whether the defendant is in the country or not. There are ways to serve someone who isn't in the country, but they can be complicated... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I received notice of judgment regarding old credit card debt. What do I do next? I didn’t get the original summons.
Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Dec 20, 2020

I assume this is a lawsuit to renew a previous judgment that was obtained a little less than 10 years ago? You need to contact an attorney in your area directly for assistance. It would be very helpful to that attorney if you retrieved a complete copy of the court file on the original Judgment... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Collections for North Carolina on
Q: I have a judgement from Midland credit in Winston- Salem NC, for $5000 on a credit card I could not pay .

I have now a note left on my door saying I need to contact and arrange a Notice of Rights to Have Exemptions Designated given to me. I do not know if I can do anything at this point because I never showed up to court when I was served on this issue and they ruled in favor of midland credit, I went... View More

Lynn Ellen Coleman
Lynn Ellen Coleman
answered on Nov 6, 2020

We dont have wage garnishment in NC and if you file a Motion To Claim Exempt Property within 20 days after you accept that service of the Notice of Right, your assets will likely be protected. Contact a qualified attorney in your area (a consumer bankruptcy attorney is most likely to be able to... View More

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