how satisfying one judgement influences other bad debts

[sumeira]

I have a judgment from October 2003 for $5700. I have managed to live with my husbands credit score (760) but now we want to buy a house where we need both our salaries and credit histories. This judgment would have dropped this December because it will be 7 yrs from the time it was passed if I ignored it for a few more months. But we really need to buy this house - the only way I can get a loan with my husband is to satisfy this judgment. So i am considering negotiating and paying the minimum it will take to get a satisfied letter.

My question is if I do pay this judgment, would my other bad debts which are 10 plus yrs old and have dropped from my credit history become alive all over again. I don't want to open a can of worms, please help with any advice. Thanks

[chane]

No, paying the judgment will not bring back the other debts, especially if they are over 10 years old. They can only remain on your credit report for 7 years.

However, paying the judgment could re-age it and make it so that it stays another 7 years on your credit report. I would NOT pay it. I would either wait until December or I would dispute it now. It is so old that it will probably not get verified. It should be pretty easy to remove.

[sumeira]

Could anyone please tell me how to dispute a judgment on my credit report?

On my report I only see a county name and a docket number and the judgment amount.

thanks

[chane]

You can dispute a judgment the same as anything else. Start here:

Introduction to Credit Repair