Judgement on Credit Report

M

Michael

Member
During the pandemic, I fell on hard times and one of my credit cards ended up in court, resulting in a judgment against me. I’ve been making payments ever since, and I’m now down to about $3,500 left. I’ve considered getting a debt consolidation loan to clear it in one go, but I just read that even after it’s paid off, the judgment can still stay on your credit report for up to seven years. Is that true?

I’ve been thinking about returning to a career where employers check your credit before hiring. I was planning to wait until after I paid the balance to make the move, but if it’s still going to show for years, I’m wondering if that changes things.

The weird part is, I’ve been using Credit Karma for the past couple of months to monitor my progress, and I don’t even see the judgment listed there. Not sure if that’s normal or if it’s just not showing up in their system.

Has anyone dealt with something similar?
 
Yeah, unfortunately that’s true. Paid judgments can still linger on your credit report for up to 7 years from the date it was filed, not the date you paid it. Sucks, but that’s the system. Employers doing a soft pull for hiring will still see it if they check that section.
 
If it’s not on Credit Karma, don’t assume it’s not there. CK often misses court-related stuff because they pull from TransUnion and Equifax, and some judgments don’t get reported directly to them. Pull your free reports from annualcreditreport.com to see the real picture.
 
Had almost the same situation. Mine didn’t show on CK either but was sitting loud and proud on my Experian report. When I paid it, it just got marked Satisfied. It still hung around until the 7-year clock ran out.
 
Before you do a consolidation loan, check the interest rate they’re offering vs. what you’re paying now. Sometimes those loans are worse. And once the judgment is satisfied, at least you’re no longer accruing court interest.
 
Honestly, if you’re trying to re-enter a field that checks credit, you might be better off starting the job search now and being upfront about the judgment if they ask. A lot of hiring managers care more about recent behavior than old stuff you’ve been paying down.
 
Might be worth calling the court clerk’s office and confirming if it’s still showing as active. Sometimes they don’t update reporting properly, and you can submit proof to the bureaus yourself.
 
Honestly, if you’re down to $3,500, I’d just push to finish it. It’s still going to show, but the sooner you start the 7-year countdown, the sooner it’s off.
 
I don’t know if this applies in your state, but some states only allow reporting of judgments for 5 years. Worth a Google for your state’s rules.
 
I don’t even see the judgment listed there
Not uncommon. Some courts don’t report to credit bureaus anymore due to a 2017 rule change, so it might not appear at all. Employers could still find it through public record searches though.
 
If you’re planning a career move soon, maybe focus on having a strong explanation ready instead of waiting years. If you can show consistent repayment, that speaks volumes.
 
Judgments hit differently because they’re legal records. Even if the credit report clears, an employer doing a background check might still see it.
 
If you can swing it, maybe ask the creditor if they’ll file a Satisfaction of Judgment AND request deletion from the credit bureaus in writing. It’s rare, but sometimes they’ll agree.
 
Honestly, if CK isn’t showing it and your official reports don’t either, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones. Pull all three reports to confirm before stressing too much.
 
I’ve seen people get hired in finance even with a paid judgment. The key is how you present it and whether the rest of your credit looks solid.
 
If it’s not hurting your score because it’s not on the report, you might want to just keep your payment plan instead of taking a loan.
 
I swear the whole system is set up to make recovery harder than it should be. Like, why punish someone for years after they’ve made it right?
 
I was planning to wait until after I paid the balance
Honestly, that’s what I thought too. Ended up wasting two years waiting for nothing.
 
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