They’d take $20-30k if they worked on contingency. Spending $5k to obtain a default judgment is a better investment. (A default judgment would be the outcome if

They’d take $20-30k if they worked on contingency. Spending $5k to obtain a default judgment is a better investment. (A default judgment would be the outcome if this person has disappeared, but has assets in the same country, and the owed amount is documented.)