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small claims judgement against me

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Patricia L

Guest
I was unable to attend a small claims trial against me. Long story, but,you know,he was awarded the claim. The judgement was for 471.00. The suit was for some window blinds he ordered without my authorization, and I do not even have the blinds. He has them.
I want to pay this man to just get this out of my hair, however,he says that he is adding 20% interest to that amount before he will lift the lien he has on my property.
My question is, can he add interest to the court judgement??
I live in washington state. Please help, I need to have this taken care of a.s.a.p. Thank you very much.
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JETX

Senior Member
Absolutely, he can charge interest on the judgment, usually from the court date (or plus 30 days) to the date of payment. However, my research shows that Washington state has 12% interest on judgments, not the 20% that he is claiming.

I would suggest you contact the court that rendered the judgment and get a copy of it. It should clearly show the amount of judgment plus any costs (if awarded) and the correct interest rate. You might also try to 'trick' the debtor... ask for a written statement of account and see if he throws in the 20% interest. If he does, you can contact the court to see if he would be in contempt.

Finally, if you do decide to pay him, do it by money order and make a copy of it. Then make sure you get a receipt and signed Satisfaction of Judgment from him upon payment. You can then file the Satisfaction with the court to close the casefile.
 

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