Enforcement of Judgement

EJ-001

Important things to know

You owe the full amount right away unless the judge ordered a payment plan.
The court does not collect the money. It is up to you to pay, or the debt collector to collect.
You may be able to start a payment plan or negotiate with the debt collector.
The debt collector may try to collect the money by taking money from your bank account or your paycheck. You can challenge this, but you must act quickly.
You may be able to undo, or set aside, this judgment if you didn't know about it or in a few other situations.
You will not go to jail for having a judgment against you.

Options if you received a judgment

Pay the debt or allow the debt collector to collect the money from you

If you don't pay the debt, the debt collector may try to collect the money. For example, they may take money from

Your paycheck, called wage garnishment
Your bank account, called a bank levy

As long as the money is unpaid, it gathers interest at 10% per year (for example, a $1,000 judgment becomes $1,100 after a year, $2,000 at ten years). The sooner it is paid, the less interest you will have to pay.

Negotiate to pay off the judgment under better terms

You may be able to negotiate a settlement with the debt collector to allow you to pay off the judgment under better terms.

In certain types of cases, you can ask the judge to allow you to pay in installments. Learn more

Ask the judge to set aside (cancel) the judgment

Setting aside the default judgment “rewinds” the case back to the beginning. It does not mean you win your case. It means you could file an answer and present a defense to your case.

A judge can only set aside a judgment in a few situations. Learn more

If you can't afford the judgment

When a debt collector tries to collect through a bank levy or wage garnishment, you may be able to defend your money or property from collection.

If you can show you need the money to pay for the basic necessities of life or if you receive money from Social Security or other sources that cannot be taken by debt collectors, you can ask the court for a Claim of Exemption from wage garnishment or a Claim of Exemption from a bank levy.

EJ-001 -Abstract of Judgment—

EJ-100 - Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment

EJ-105 -Application for Entry of Judgment on Sister-State Judgment

EJ-110 - Notice of Entry of Judgment on Sister-State Judgment

EJ-115 - Notice of Application for Recognition and Entry of Tribal Court Money Judgment

EJ-125 - Application and Order for Appearance and Examination

EJ-130 - Writ of Execution

EJ-150 - Notice of Levy

EJ-152 - Memorandum of Garnishee

EJ-155 - Exemptions from The Enforcement of Judgments

EJ-156 - Current Dollar Amounts of Exemptions from Enforcement of Judgments

EJ-157 - Ex Parte Application for Order on Deposit Account Exemption