I was called by a 77 years old widow on Social Security who panicked worried that she was facing either starvation or jail.

Even through she had made all payments timely and for the correct amount, the credit card company had raised her interest rate from 9.9% to 29.9% making it impossible for her to make the minimum payment. She called me for a bankruptcy since the card company’s collector had threatened her with jail if she didn’t make her minimum monthly payment.

However, she didn’t need a bankruptcy, she only needed to know the law and let the collector understand that she knew her rights. This tired and broken soul was judgment proof. When I explained this concept to her, I realized that the same information should be public knowledge - but how?

This incident compelled me to write Bill Payer’s Guide. The term “judgment proof” is explained in section 10.3 of the Guide.