Justice!!!

We were in court again this morning - this time for a hearing to garnish the pay of my former tenant who skipped out last year because I offered her a free washer and dryer (see earlier posts).
Just to bring you up to date (I know this is a matter of grave concern to everyone who stumbles in here), I won a $2,100-something judgment in May as compensation for lost income when she bailed out just six months into a 3½-year lease. A month went by and she made no effort to pay me or even contact me about a payment schedule.
So I exercised my right as a victorious plaintiff and filed to have her employer pay me directly from her earnings, taking her out of the decision-making loop. Under state law, I can take up to 25% of her pay.
Last month, after I requested garnishment, she sent us a $45 payment. We got another $45 from her in yesterday's mail.
In court this morning, she claimed $45 a month was all she could afford to pay. She said the HR person at her workplace told her garnishment could be as much as $290/month, which she claims would leave her with $50 to live on. How sad.
Paying us back at the rate of $45 a month would take nearly four years to cover just part of a loss that we incurred in three months.
After she made her statement, the judge turned to me and asked, "Do you wish to garnish her pay or do you want to make some other arrangement?"
A flicker of compassion flashed through my mind. Then I remembered I had offered her $250 to buy her own washer and dryer and that the judge deducted that same $250 from the settlement.
"I request garnishment," I said.
"Very well. So adjudged," he said, adding, "You're free to go."
Slam dunk. Pay up, Rita.