Georgia Post Judgment Collection

Question: I have a judgment against someone who owes me money; how can I collection on this judgment?

That’s a question we hear almost daily around here.  Many law firms will handle a commercial collection matter through judgment, but then they don’t know what to do.  In other words, the typical lawyer will make sure you “win” your lawsuit, but he or she won’t do much to help you collection on the judgment.  To us at the Cobb Law Group, that’s not much of a victory.

We’re different.  We assist our clients will every aspect of their collection issues–from filing mechanic’s liens or making a payment bond claim to filing a lawsuit, preparing a foreclosure, securing a judgment, and pursuing post-judgment collection activities.

Even if we didn’t represent you in the law suit you won, we also help those with outstanding judgments collect against those judgments throughout the State of Georgia.

There are several steps a creditor a creditor should consider if they have a judgment.

First, if you have been awarded a judgment against another party in Georgia, it is vital to make sure that the court has issued (and recorded) a Writ of Fieri Facias which is commonly referred as a FiFa in Georgia.  This Writ or FiFa is a judgment lien which attaches to all of the defendant’s property in the State of Georgia.  Some courts issue a FiFa immediately upon granting judgment; however, many require a written request and a $5.00 or $7.00 fee.  Thus, if you have a Georgia judgment, make sure the FiFa has been issued.

Second, record the original FiFa in each and every county where you think the entity who owes you money owns any assets.  For our clients, for example, we search real estate ownership throughout Georgia and record the FiFa in every county where the debtor owns real estate.  That way, if the debtor attempts to transfer any real estate or attempts to refinance any real estate, then your recorded FiFa may lead to payment of the debt.

Third, if you can identify a bank account which is owned by the debtor, then it may be possible to file a Summons of Garnishment against that bank account; similarly, if the debtor is an individual who is employed, then you may be able to garnish up to 25% of his or her wages.  Garnishments in Georgia can be a very effective means of collection your judgment.  Lately, we have been fortunate to garnish current construction projects in order to collect judgments rendered against subcontractors.  Remeber to think creatively as garnishments can often be filed against anyone who owes your debtor money (including credit card companies, employers, tenants, etc.) ; be careful, however, as Georgia does not allow garnishment against all assets (such as retirement account, child suppert, etc.) so check with your lawyer before filing attempting a garnishment.

In addition to gerniahsment, there are several other great options available to the post-judgment creditor.  For example, we frequently, use post-judgment discovery to assist us with locating and identifying a debtor’s assets.  We use such techniques as depositions, written interrogatories, and third-party discovery to help us locate assets in Georgia and collection on the judgment.

Contact an Experienced Georgia Construction Law Attorney

If you have a judgment against somebody, don’t let it sit there gathering dust; contact us to see if we can help you find the money that you are owed.