Judgment Recovery Private Investigator FL & NC

Judgment Recovery Investigation Support

Obtaining a judgment and collecting it are different stages. JRS Investigations assists judgment creditors and their attorneys by locating debtors and researching documented asset indicators that may inform a lawful post-judgment strategy.

Depending on the scope and jurisdiction, research may address current addresses, real-property interests, business ownership and affiliations, liens, judgments, bankruptcies, professional licenses, public vehicle or vessel records, employment or business indicators, litigation, and other relevant public records.

JRS Investigations does not collect debts, seize or freeze assets, garnish wages, issue subpoenas, or provide legal advice. Enforcement actions must be selected and pursued by the creditor’s attorney through the appropriate legal process. No investigator can guarantee recovery.

Judgment recovery investigation: tracing a debtor's property and companies

Free Confidential Judgment Recovery Consultation

Judgment Recovery Investigation Process

A focused assignment begins with the judgment, debtor identifiers, enforcing jurisdiction, known companies or properties, prior collection efforts, and the questions counsel needs answered. This helps match the research to the judgment and avoid unnecessary or legally restricted inquiries.

Debtor location: Research current addresses, contact points, business locations, and other lawful location indicators when a debtor has moved or become difficult to reach.
Asset-indicator research: Identify public records associated with real estate, companies, secured interests, licenses, vehicles, vessels, litigation, or other potential assets.
Ownership and affiliation mapping: Examine companies, managers, registered agents, addresses, relatives, associates, and related entities without assuming that an association proves ownership.
Transfer and history research: Review available property, corporate, and court records for changes that may warrant examination by counsel.
Lawful surveillance: When relevant and appropriate, document observable activity from public places or authorized locations without confrontation or trespass.
Attorney coordination: Organize findings and source records so counsel can evaluate discovery, subpoenas, liens, levies, garnishment, domestication, turnover, or other authorized remedies.

Collecting a Judgment in Florida or North Carolina

JRS Investigations is licensed in both states, and the collection tools available to your attorney shape what our research should look for. The same debtor can be easy to collect from in one state and nearly judgment-proof in the other.

Florida

Liens: A certified copy of the judgment recorded in a county’s official records becomes a lien on the debtor’s real property in that county under section 55.10, and a judgment lien certificate filed with the Department of State reaches certain personal property statewide under section 55.202. We identify the counties where the debtor owns or is likely to acquire real estate so counsel knows where to record.
Homestead and wages: Florida’s constitutional homestead exemption protects a qualifying primary residence regardless of value, within acreage limits, and section 222.11 protects much of a head of family’s wages. Research therefore focuses on non-homestead real estate, business interests, vehicles, vessels, receivables and transfers.
Proceedings supplementary: Under section 56.29, a creditor holding an unsatisfied judgment can ask the court to bring in third parties who may hold the debtor’s property or who received fraudulent transfers. Documented links between the debtor and related companies or family members help counsel decide whom to name.

North Carolina

Docketed judgments: Under N.C.G.S. 1-234, a judgment docketed and indexed with the clerk of superior court is a lien on the debtor’s real property in that county for 10 years. A judgment can be docketed in other counties, so locating property statewide matters.
Exemptions: North Carolina’s statutory exemptions under N.C.G.S. 1C-1601 protect a limited amount of residence equity, a vehicle and other personal property, and North Carolina generally does not allow wage garnishment for ordinary consumer judgments. Collection often depends on finding non-exempt real estate, business assets or bank-account leads that counsel can pursue through execution.
Out-of-state judgments: A judgment from Florida or another state can be filed in North Carolina under the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (N.C.G.S. 1C-1701 and following); Florida has a similar procedure in sections 55.501 to 55.509. We confirm where the debtor actually lives and holds assets before counsel chooses where to domesticate.

These summaries are general information, not legal advice. Exemptions, lien priority and remedies should be confirmed with a collections attorney licensed in the state involved.

Investigation and Enforcement Are Different

An investigator identifies and documents information; the court and the creditor’s attorney control legal enforcement. Bank balances, tax returns, credit reports, confidential transactions, and other protected records are not obtained through unauthorized access or misrepresentation. Access may require consent, a permissible purpose, subpoena, court order, or another lawful process handled by counsel.

Objective Civil Investigation

Judgment matters can involve incomplete information, similar names, layered business entities, disputed ownership, and assets located in more than one jurisdiction. JRS Investigations uses a defined scope and source-based research to separate verified facts from unconfirmed leads.

Reports identify the records reviewed, document material findings, note relevant dates, and explain important limitations. Attorneys determine how the findings fit applicable exemptions, ownership rules, discovery procedures, and enforcement law.

Records and Indicators That May Be Researched

Current and historical addresses and business locations
Real-property ownership and transfer records
Corporations, limited-liability companies, partnerships, managers, and registered agents
Liens, judgments, UCC filings, bankruptcies, and civil litigation
Professional licenses and business affiliations
Public vehicle, vessel, or aircraft records when available
Employment or income indicators from lawful sources
Online activity and credible public reporting relevant to location or ownership questions
International asset indicators when the scope includes foreign jurisdictions

A located record may not establish current ownership, equity, value, control, or collectability. Property can be jointly owned, encumbered, exempt, transferred, or held through an entity. Those issues require review by counsel and, when appropriate, title, valuation, tax, or forensic-accounting professionals.

Five Reasons to Use a Licensed Investigator

Objective fact-finding: Document records and observable facts without treating allegations or associations as proven ownership.
Focused cross-jurisdiction research: Follow names, addresses, entities, and property indicators across the locations relevant to the judgment.
Debtor-location support: Develop current address and business-location information needed for counsel’s lawful next steps.
Source preservation: Organize records, dates, screenshots, photographs, and other available support in a clear investigative report.
Coordination with counsel: Target the investigation toward questions that may support authorized discovery or enforcement proceedings.

Results and Legal Limits

No investigator can guarantee that a debtor has recoverable assets or that a judgment will be collected. JRS Investigations does not make threats, harass debtors, misrepresent legal authority, access protected accounts, or take enforcement action. The client and attorney remain responsible for compliance with judgment-enforcement, privacy, consumer-protection, and debt-collection laws.

How an Investigator Works With the Florida Fact Information Sheet

After a Florida money judgment, the creditor can ask the court to order the debtor to complete the sworn Fact Information Sheet, Form 1.977 under Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.560, usually within 45 days. It is the first discovery tool most creditors use, but debtors often leave out accounts, vehicles, business interests and income. A judgment recovery investigation checks the sworn answers against public records, county property and vessel records, Florida Division of Corporations filings, business activity and, when it helps, lawful field observation of where the debtor works, lives and spends time. Gaps between the sworn form and what the records show give your attorney grounds for interrogatories, a deposition in aid of execution or contempt proceedings.

Post-Judgment Discovery in North Carolina

In North Carolina, a judgment creditor whose execution comes back unsatisfied can use supplemental proceedings under N.C. Gen. Stat. 1-352 to have the debtor examined about property and income, and a judgment remains enforceable for ten years. JRS can locate the debtor for service and develop a list of real property, vehicles, business filings and employment leads in Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and the other western North Carolina counties before that examination.

Who Works Your Judgment Recovery Case

JRS Investigations is owned and run by Jody Stacy, a private investigator and former police officer at both the state and federal level, with more than 25 years of experience. Florida agency license A 2400330 and North Carolina PI license 906236. Most of our judgment work over the years has come from Florida attorneys who send us the final judgment and ask us to find where the debtor lives now, run a post-judgment background, and trace property and companies the debtor may have moved assets into. Florida work is billed at $125 per hour. The scope and retainer are agreed after a free confidential consultation, so you know the cost before research starts.

Questions About Judgment Recovery Investigations

How much does a judgment recovery investigation cost?

Florida work is billed at $125 per hour against a retainer. Most debtor-location and asset-indicator assignments are scoped to a set number of hours after we review the judgment, the debtor identifiers and what has already been tried. North Carolina and out-of-state work is quoted after the free consultation.

Is this legal and confidential?

Yes. JRS Investigations is a licensed Florida agency (A 2400330) and holds North Carolina PI license 906236. We use public records, lawful databases and lawful field work only, never pretexting or unauthorized access. Your identity, the judgment and our findings stay confidential and go only to you and your attorney.

How quickly can you start?

Usually within a few business days of the consultation and retainer. Send the judgment, the case number and every identifier you have for the debtor, and we start with the current address and the counties where property may be held.

Related JRS Investigation Services

Judgment Recovery Investigation FAQs

Can an investigator collect the judgment for me?

No. An investigator locates the debtor and identifies lawful leads on assets and income; enforcement such as garnishment, levies or liens is carried out through your attorney and the court.

How long does a judgment stay enforceable?

In Florida, an action on a judgment can generally be brought within 20 years (Florida Statute 95.11). In North Carolina, judgments are generally enforceable for 10 years and may be renewed by a new action (N.C.G.S. 1-47). Confirm deadlines for your judgment with your attorney.

Can you get bank, phone or credit records?

Not without consent or legal process. Protected financial and telephone records are not available to investigators on request, obtaining financial information by pretexting is prohibited by federal law, and credit reports require a permissible purpose under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. JRS develops lawful leads from public records and case information that counsel can then pursue.

Is a Florida Fact Information Sheet enough, or do I still need an investigator?

Start with the Fact Information Sheet because it is sworn and court-ordered. An investigator is useful when the answers look incomplete, the debtor does not respond, or the debtor has moved, changed businesses or put property in another name. The investigation verifies the form against records and develops leads your attorney can pursue.

Can you find out where a debtor works for a wage garnishment?

Often, yes. Employment can sometimes be identified through public filings, licensing records, business records and lawful surveillance of where the debtor goes on workdays. Your attorney then decides whether a continuing writ of garnishment is appropriate, keeping in mind that Florida protects some head-of-family wages under Florida Statute 222.11.

Can you find assets put in an LLC or a relative's name?

Transfers to new companies, spouses or relatives often show up in Division of Corporations filings, county deed records and vehicle or vessel titles. JRS documents those connections so counsel can evaluate whether a transfer can be challenged. See also our hidden asset investigations page.

JRS Investigations licensing: Florida Agency License A 2400330 and North Carolina PI License 906236.