Collecting a California Judgment

collecting a california judgmentJudgments are enforceable for 10 years. Prior to the expiration of the 10 years, a judgment can be renewed for an additional 10 year period. Once a judgment’s been renewed, it can’t be renewed again until 5 years later. When the judgment is renewed, the interest that has accrued will be added to the principal amount owed. From that point on you’re entitled to interest on the accrued interest.

Procedures for collecting a California judgment: There are several avenues that can be utilized to collect a California money judgment.

  • Garnishment of wages
  • Garnishment of bank account
  • Attachment of property
  • Judgment Debtor Examination
  • Assignment to third party collection agency

When determining which path to take, careful consideration must be given to what information you have regarding the debtor’s assets, sources of income and ability to pay. Each process will have additional costs and there may be varying advantages and disadvantages worth considering when pursuing a particular collection means.

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Our Civil Services

Due to the varying complexities of civil proceedings, many fees must be quoted on an individual basis based on the services required. All of our services are quoted on a FLAT FEE basis and do NOT include any court or third party costs. Some of the more standard services are:

Civil Complaints and Answers Price
Small Claims Package
Includes preparation of claim, submission of documents to court, scheduling of hearing and arranging service of process
$250 plus $25 each defendant over 1
Civil Complaint
Limited with 1 cause of action
Each additional cause of action
$250
+$75
Response to unverified Civil Complaint with affirmative defenses $250
Response to verified Civil Complaint with affirmative defenses $350 (1 cause of action)
Other Civil and Misc. Matters Price
Propounding Discovery Interrogatories, Request for Admissions, Production of Documents $500 up
Responding to Discovery Interrogatories, Request for Admissions, Production of Documents $500 up
Motion to Set Aside Default Judgment $575
Civil Restraining Order $499; $25 each addtl. protected person
Renew Judgment $350
California Sister State Judgment $300
Other Collection Proceedings Call for quote
Expungement $399
Other Services Call for quote