A bounced check, a stopped payment, or a reversed transfer doesn't make the debt go away — it just means you haven't been paid yet. New York actually gives you an extra stick for bad checks: done right, you may recover more than the face amount.
Under New York's General Obligations Law § 11-104, a drawer who passes a check knowing it won't clear can owe the face amount plus additional liquidated damages — up to twice the check, capped at $400 where there were insufficient funds, or $750 where there was no account at all. The catch: the law requires a specific two-letter written demand process and a 30-day window before those damages attach. Sending the right notices, the right way, is where most people slip — and where having the firm send them pays off.
1. Demand (done correctly). We can issue the statutory bad-check demands so the extra damages are on the table — not just a generic letter. Banksy drafts a starting demand free; an attorney handles the formal notices.
2. Sue. If they still don't pay, we sue for the amount owed and, where the facts fit, the bad-check damages too.
3. Enforce the judgment. New York's CPLR Article 52 tools — information subpoenas, restraining notices, bank levies, and income executions through a marshal or sheriff — collect it.
Possibly — under GOL § 11-104, after the required two-letter demand process, a drawer can owe the face amount plus additional liquidated damages (up to twice the check, capped at $400 for insufficient funds or $750 where there was no account).
A stop-payment or reversed transfer still leaves the underlying debt unpaid — we pursue it as a money claim and, where it fits, the bad-check remedies too.
Free demand letter; $99 attorney review & send; full collection on contingency — no attorney fee unless we collect.