I left an apartment 3 months before my lease was up. They recieved a judgment against me in the amount of 1100.00. The collection agency is not willing to work with me at all. I was told that the only way they can garnish my wages is if they have a judgement against me. If i go to the court and pay the 1100.00 judgment, can they still garnish my wages?

Also, if i miss a payment arrangment that I have made with this collection agency, how long will it take them to get what they need to garnish my wages? And if i pay of the judgment before that time, what will happen then. I am trying to figure out how much time i will have when i miss the payment today to get that judgment paid.

Additional information
They are trying to collect a total of $3800.00 dollars from me. I just want to know if i pay off the 1100.00 judgment, can they still garnish my wages.

A: The judgment creditor can only garnish if there is a valid judgment. However, if that judgment is more than the original $1,100, then you will need to pay the entire amount to avoid future garnishment and other collection actions. Contact an Arizona collections lawyer for further information.

Brad Denton
Re-posted from AVVO Legal Questions & Answers.