How do I collect a judgment?
A4: If you win a lawsuit for money, you will get a copy of the Court’s judgment stating the amount of money the losing party must pay to you. The losing party is called the judgment debtor, and you, the winner, are called the judgment creditor. If the judgment debtor does not pay, you are entitled to get the sheriff to seize the judgment debtor’s property. The seizing of property by the sheriff is called a levy. Once the sheriff has levied on the property, the sheriff will then sell it, and pay you out of the money the sheriff receives from the sale. This process is call execution. There are a number of steps you must take. Step 1. Once you get your judgment, you should first obtain a judgment lien by recording a Judgment Lien Certificate with the Department of State. This is not always crucial, but it is a very good idea. We will explain below why it is a good idea and how you do it. Step 2. In order to get the sheriff to levy upon (to seize) the judgment debtor’s property, you must f
