How to Look Up Judgements Against You

This article was written by Jennifer Mueller, JD. Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006.

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If someone sues you in a civil court and you don't show up, they can get a default judgment against you. That default judgment allows them to get a writ of execution from a judge and take money from you (typically through wage garnishment) to satisfy the judgment. However, you also have the option of contacting them yourself and making payment arrangements. Unfortunately, you don't always get a notice when a default judgment is entered. Looking up judgments against you allows you to find out who you need to contact to get everything sorted out. [1] X Research source

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Searching Online

If you're looking for a judgment against you, it's usually going to be in the court of the county where you live. However, if you've recently moved from another state or county, you might want to check there too.

Some courts require you to sign up for an account and pay a fee before you can access the court database.

Some courts only provide a summary of the judgment. If you want access to the full court record, you'll have to visit the clerk's office.

You can find contact information for the clerk's office on the website. You might be able to call and have the records mailed to you, but usually, you'll need to make a trip to the courthouse.
Some courts charge a small copying fee for records, typically a few cents a page.

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Going through the Court Clerk

You can find out from your paystub if your wages are being garnished. However, it typically won't have any details about the garnishment or the judgment your wages are being garnished to satisfy.
If your bank or employer is going to mail you a copy of the paperwork, expect to wait a few days to get it.

If you don't have a copy of the original judgment, look on the writ. It will typically have information about the judgment as well, including the name of the court and the docket number.

If you don't know whether you have a judgment against you, the clerk can look up this information for you. Typically, you'll only need to give them your name and they can search the system.
Some courts charge a small fee to print court records. This usually amounts to a few cents per page. The full court record for a default judgment will usually only be a few pages.

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Taking Care of the Judgment

Look over the case record carefully. It will tell you who sued you, what they sued you for, and when they got the default judgment.
The case record also includes documents proving that you were notified of the lawsuit.

You might also be able to get the judgment vacated if you have a good excuse for not showing up to court, such as if you were in the hospital. Different courts have different rules about what excuses they'll accept. Talk to a lawyer if you think you can get the judgment vacated.
The person who sued you will likely sue you again — they'll just take extra care to make sure you have notice this time. However, it does give you a chance to defend yourself in court, which you were denied the first time.

If the court records list an attorney, contact them first — don't contact the person who sued you if they were represented by counsel. The attorney will let you know if you should instead contact their client directly.

Get any payment or settlement arrangements in writing before you start making payments. Otherwise, you run the risk that they could file a writ of execution against you anyway.

If they agree to take less money than the judge originally awarded them, make sure the settlement agreement is included on the satisfaction of judgment.
Make copies of this form and keep them in a safe place. If anyone brings up the judgment again, you can show them this form as proof that you paid it.

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If you find a judgment against you, call a lawyer. They might be able to help you work out a settlement with the person that sued you. [12] X Trustworthy Source US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau U.S. government agency for protecting consumers in the financial sector Go to source

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This article covers how to look up judgments against you in the US. Other countries have different procedures. Talk to a local attorney or contact the nearest court to find out what you need to do.