Student loan judgement - Statute of limitations

Posted by Quikdraw (67.25.52.207) on April 04, 2003 at 14:09:09:

I have a big problem. I hope that you can clear this up for me. I had a student loan back in 1975. The amount was $5000.00. I had compleatly forgoten that I even had the loan because I thought that my (now ex)wife had been making the proper payments. I later fown out that she hadn't. I tried to contact the bank that I had gotten the original loan from in the first place but was told by them that I didn't have a loan with them at all. I did som additional checking into the situation but came up with no information what so ever.
About eight years later I attempted additional checking into this with the same results.
Out of the blue I was contacted by the Federal attourney general's office (a div. of the dept of education). I was told by them that due to nonpayment of my student loan my case was turned over to them to pursue in court. I spoke to them about how I had attempted to pay the loan off. I was told by them that it would indeed go to federal court but that I didn't need to be there because it was all "boilerplate".
I then received a letter from the US Department of Justice stating that I now had a Federal Court Judgement against me for $10,000.00 (twice what I had borrowed)and that I now had to pay them the debt. I began paying them $100.00 per month for about three months. This time coinsided with tax time and I was due a refund of approx $600.00. This money was confiscated by the court, they have also confiscated every refund since (eight years) untill last year. I have never been given credit for any of the confiscated monies of the payments made. so I just quit paying them until I was given credit for the money paid in to them.
Yesterday I received a letter from the US Dept of Justice telling me I have forteen days to pay off the amount or they were going to come in and take any thing of value to pay off the loan.
What is the Statute of limitations on such judgements and how do I "Back them off" or what do I do to stop them from comming in and robbing me and my Family. I also need to mention that I was in an auto accident four years ago and the person at fault for the accident of course didn't have insurance so my insurance had to pay for my and my wife's injuries. I have not been able to work for four years and my income is the only money comming in because my wife is disabled. I am in the process of tring to become declared disabled as well (her disability is a wopping $500.00 a month. But basicly we are quickly becoming destitute. Can the just storm troop in and throw us into the street. Byn the way I am suppost to have a surgery performed on my low back on the 14th of May. Which will be just befor we no longer have insurance to cover it. We are already destitute but wonder how long the Federal government can just stomp on us for this original FIVE GRAND?

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