Question: In a recent article you wrote about Flagstaff neighbors and their motorcycles destroying the common boundary wall and then refusing to pay for any of the repair costs. We have a 10-acre lot in Wickenburg, and similar nasty neighbors have refused to pay for their share of the damage to our common boundary wall. We went to Justice Court and got a judgment for $7,800 against our nasty neighbors. What do we do now?
Answer: First, you should record the judgment in Maricopa County, and in any other county where your nasty neighbors own another home, land, or other real property. Second, you should contact a collections attorney to see if your neighbors have collectible assets. Your collections attorney may suggest a debtor's exam where your nasty neighbors can
be questioned under oath about their assets.
In one debtor's exam I attended years ago, the debtor was a well-known real estate investor who was wearing a Rolex watch. There were several creditors’ attorneys asking questions about his assets. One creditor’s attorney asked the real investor to take off his Rolex watch and give it to him, which the real estate investor did. Seemed bizarre, but no one said anything, including the real estate investor's attorney, so I assumed that was legal!
Have a question about real estate law? Email Christopher Combs at info@combslawgroup.com.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: You won a judgment against your neighbor. Now what?
