How to Remove Judgements on Credit Reports (2024)

FAQs

How to Remove Judgements on Credit Reports? ›

Generally, a Warrant to Satisfy Judgment is filed with the Superior Court Clerk to close the judgment when the judgment is paid. The warrant can serve as proof to the credit reporting agencies that the Judgment has been paid. Write to the Superior Court Clerk's office to request a copy.

Basis for Getting a Judgment Removed

You paid the debt: Credit agencies will remove the judgment from your credit report if you can show that you did pay your debt on time. If you paid your debt after the judgment was established on your credit report, the agency won't remove the judgment.

Do judgments show up on credit reports under federal law? Under federal law, specifically the applicable Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the general rule is that bad debts can remain on your credit report for seven years.

The most direct way to remove a judgment is to pay it off in full. If you have the financial means, you can pay the creditor directly or through the court. In some cases, you may be able to negotiate a settlement agreement with the creditor, potentially reducing the amount you owe.

Since judgments no longer appear on your credit report, they do not directly impact your credit score. However, financial choices and behaviors that lead to having a judgment on your report may indirectly affect your score. You may have outstanding balances, debts, collections and more.

Money judgments automatically expire (run out) after 10 years. To prevent this from happening, you as the judgment creditor must file a request for renewal of the judgment with the court BEFORE the 10 years run out.

You might be able to prevent collection of a judgment by negotiating with the creditor or claiming property as exempt. If a creditor sues you and gets a judgment, it has a whole host of collection methods available to get its money from you, including wage attachments, property levies, assignment orders, and more.

In California, unpaid judgments are collectible for up to 10 years. Having an unpaid judgment exposes you to repeated efforts to freeze your bank account and/or garnish your wages. Judgments also appear on your credit report, where they affect your ability to get loans, employment, and housing.

Most negative items should automatically fall off your credit reports seven years from the date of your first missed payment, at which point your credit score may start rising. But if you are otherwise using credit responsibly, your score may rebound to its starting point within three months to six years.

If you have an old debt on your credit report that should be removed, it's time to contact the credit bureau(s) and dispute the error. When you dispute an old debt, the bureau will open an investigation and ask the creditor reporting it to verify the debt. If it can't, the debt has to come off your report.

Can you pay to delete a Judgement? ›

Removing A Judgment from Your Record

There are only three ways in which a judgment can be made to go away: paying the debt, vacating the judgment or discharging the debt through bankruptcy.

Ask the judge to set aside (cancel) the judgment

It does not mean you win your case. It means you could file an answer and present a defense to your case. Setting aside the default requires filing a motion.

Use the behavior or reaction that you are judging as your “trail head”. Set aside your judgement and get curious as to what triggered your response - follow the event down the trail to learn more about what got you to this place. Notice what thought, emotion, physical sensation, etc.

Remove Old Judgments from Your Credit Report

You can write a dispute letter to the court that issued the judgment to ask them to validate the debt. The judgment may have been reported in error or may already be satisfied (paid), in which case they will not be able to validate it.

However, judgment can also be harmful when we use it to put others down or to make assumptions about people and situations without knowing all the facts. It can also lead to guilt and shame when we judge ourselves or feel judged by others.

Do Judgments Expire in Texas? Judgments awarded in Texas to a non-government creditor are generally valid for ten years but can be renewed for longer. If a judgment is not renewed, it will become dormant. A creditor can request to revive a dormant judgment to continue to try and collect the debt.

If you have been making your payments regularly and on time, restitution and other court-ordered debt shouldn't show up on your credit report. However, once you begin missing payments, the court can sell your debt to a collection agency that will likely report the debt to the credit bureau.