Disclaimer: On a given day in a given courtroom, a judge might do or say just about anything.
The most common outcome of a taken-to-court-for-a-debt scenario is the judge issues an order that you pay. This allows the creditor to garnish your paycheck if you had a steady job. If you had some real valuable assets and were just holding out you could be ordered to sell them and pay up, or else face jail time for contempt of court. They don't force people to pay more than they can afford such that their power goes off or they are unable to drive and thus unable to work at all - people will complain bitterly because they get garnished and it forces them to give up something they have come to regard as essential, like cable TV or eating out; but they don't put you on the street. You may end up being ordered to pay $5 a month forever or something.
You might want to be prepared to demonstrate that you really are unable to pay at this time by assembling and taking along your spreadsheets, records, etc.
I agree with all of this, at least in Illinois. Judges CAN do and say *anything* they please. You need documentation...make **SURE** that includes tax returns or documentation showing why you didn't file. If the judge does try to order some sort of payment (which I doubt, given your situation) you can just let them enter a judgment against you. The court has no way of enforcing these. It's entirely the obligation of the owed to collect hir due. They may want the judgment just so they can claim the debt against their tax liability (depends on who you owe.)
Thanks for the tip. I'm putting together the info now, but unfortunately don't have a working print server at the moment. (Think the judge will be able to read a floppy?)
If I had an income to garnish, I'd have had the money to pay the bill by now. *sigh*
court orders
The most common outcome of a taken-to-court-for-a-debt scenario is the judge issues an order that you pay. This allows the creditor to garnish your paycheck if you had a steady job. If you had some real valuable assets and were just holding out you could be ordered to sell them and pay up, or else face jail time for contempt of court. They don't force people to pay more than they can afford such that their power goes off or they are unable to drive and thus unable to work at all - people will complain bitterly because they get garnished and it forces them to give up something they have come to regard as essential, like cable TV or eating out; but they don't put you on the street. You may end up being ordered to pay $5 a month forever or something.
You might want to be prepared to demonstrate that you really are unable to pay at this time by assembling and taking along your spreadsheets, records, etc.
Good luck!
Re: court orders
*HUGS* and good luck. Keep us posted.
Re: court orders
If I had an income to garnish, I'd have had the money to pay the bill by now. *sigh*