Wow, you can actually learn something from TV News! This story at Channel 2 KUTV News tells of the story of how a woman might lose her home over an unpaid dental bill.
How does this happen? This bill went to collections, the collection agency sued and they got a court order to sell the home to satisfy the debt - apparently they sold it at auction for $1550. Yes, I did not miss a decimal in that figure. Hmmmm…there is a rotten order about this one.
And she probably ignored the initial summons to go to court. NEVER DO THAT, my friends. If she had not ignored it, this could have been cleared up. The house was sold 13 years ago and she still lives there, but she is about to be booted. Apparently, she still pays the mortgage.
Salt Lake City Tribune Article
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7 responses so far ↓
1 Robert Nashville // May 21, 2008 at 12:03 pm
I don’t mean to appear unsympathetic but it’s a little difficult to feel sorry for someone who let what was a relatively minor issue get to this point.
Perhaps this will serve as a good lesson for why one should NEVER just ignore issues like this.
2 admin // May 21, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I agree - you can’t just ignore bills. Or court summons. On the other hand - this seems like extreme punishment.
3 Jackie Compton // May 22, 2008 at 7:05 am
I have been in the commercial collection industry for 18 years now and I have seen a case similar to this case. After investigating the case I discovered that the party who purchased the home was known by the parties who had initiated the action. I believe that if someone investigated the attorney who purchased the home at “auction” they will discover that he knows someone who was intimately involved in this case. A house will not sell at an open auction for only $1,550.00. I would also have to conclude that there is more that we do not know about the nature of the litigation. This should have been a Small Claims Court issue and not Civil Court. How did an attorney get involved? Normally, Judgments are secured through Small Claims Court and the Judgment acts as a lien against the property. The property is usually never seized to satisfy a debt of this nature. There are too many inconsistencies in this story. More investigation needs to be conducted here!
4 Jeff // May 22, 2008 at 8:33 am
I find it ludicrous that anyone can justify taking this persons home away for such a small debt, and strongly feel their is something very corrupt taking place!
5 Spongeblob // May 22, 2008 at 11:02 am
I think they should have taken her first born as well. That would stop the dead beats that don’t pay their bills.
6 admin // May 22, 2008 at 11:15 am
Blob - I gotta say that I laughed out loud on that one!
7 Crazyhorse // Jun 18, 2008 at 8:33 am
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