Case Studies

Background

A Dallas-based commercial general contractor completed a major office building project in Uptown Dallas. The property developer, a California-based LLC, paid $8.2M of the $10.6M contract but stopped payment claiming "punch list deficiencies" on the remaining $2.4M.

Challenge

The debtor had the means to pay but was using the punch list as leverage to renegotiate pricing. Previous collection attempts (6 months of letters and calls) were unsuccessful. The contractor needed immediate cash flow to meet payroll and pay subcontractors.

Our Strategy

• 1.Filed mechanic's lien on the completed property (prime downtown Dallas real estate)
• 2.In-person visit to debtor's California office with lien documentation
• 3.Filed lawsuit in Dallas County (where property is located) for breach of contract
• 4.Negotiated settlement to release lien before property sale

Result

87 days from placement to full payment. Debtor settled for $1.7M (71% recovery) to clear the lien before closing a refinance. Our client received funds in two installments over 45 days.

Background

A medical equipment leasing company provided $220K in diagnostic imaging equipment to a Fort Worth medical practice. After 18 months of on-time payments, the practice stopped paying claiming "equipment malfunction" and demanding repairs before resuming payments.

Our Strategy

• 1.Reviewed lease agreement — no provision allowing payment suspension for repairs
• 2.Asset investigation revealed practice had recently been sold to private equity group
• 3.Contacted new owners directly — they were unaware of the debt
• 4.New owners paid to avoid reputational damage and maintain vendor relationships

Result

42 days from placement to settlement. New ownership paid $180K to resolve the dispute. Original debtor had used the sale as an opportunity to avoid obligations. Our investigation uncovered the ownership change and identified the responsible party.

Background

An industrial parts manufacturer supplied custom components to an oil & gas contractor over 14 months. When oil prices dropped, the contractor stopped paying on $385K in outstanding invoices and claimed they would "pay when cash flow improves."

Our Strategy

• 1.Skip tracing revealed debtor had active contracts with major energy companies
• 2.Filed lawsuit in Harris County and obtained pre-judgment writ of garnishment
• 3.Served garnishment on debtor's largest customer (threatened to intercept payments)
• 4.Debtor settled immediately to avoid damage to their customer relationships

Result

68 days to settlement. Threat of customer garnishment created urgency. Debtor paid $340K in two installments to release the writ. The garnishment strategy is particularly effective in B2B collections when debtors have large receivables from creditworthy customers.

Background

An Austin marketing agency provided 9 months of digital marketing services to a tech startup. The startup raised Series A funding but claimed dissatisfaction with results and refused to pay the final $105K.

Our Strategy

• 1.Reviewed contract — clear deliverables, all had been met and accepted in writing
• 2.Research showed startup was about to close Series B funding ($15M)
• 3.Threatened to notify Series B investors of unpaid debts (due diligence issue)
• 4.Startup settled to avoid jeopardizing the funding round

Result

31 days to payment. $95K recovered (90.5%). The timing was critical — startups will pay debts to avoid due diligence issues that could derail funding. Recovered faster than any other method would have achieved.

Background

A SaaS company provided enterprise software to a Dallas logistics company on annual contract. After 14 months of use, the customer stopped paying claiming "breach of service level agreement" but continued using the software.

Our Strategy

• 1.Confirmed debtor was still actively using the software (API logs)
• 2.Coordinated with SaaS provider to schedule service termination
• 3.Notified debtor: pay within 7 days or access will be terminated
• 4.Debtor's operations relied on the software — they paid to avoid disruption

Result

14 days to settlement. $62K recovered (79.5%) plus agreement to resume paying current invoices. The threat of service termination creates immediate urgency in SaaS collections. Fastest recovery in our case study library.