Nearly all our blog posts mention money judgments in some way, shape, or form. Why wouldn’t they? Collecting money judgments is what we do. But did you know that there are other types of judgments? Not every judgment rendered in a civil court involves a monetary award.
A money judgment is a specific kind of judgment in the sense that a monetary award is at the heart of the court’s decision. Take a typical debt collection case. When the court finds in favor of the creditor, a monetary award equal to the original debt, plus expenses, legal fees and interest, is the normal course of action.
What if a monetary award is not at the heart of the court’s decision? Then you are looking at a different kind of judgment. Note that non-monetary judgments may still include a monetary component if the court orders the losing party to pay the winning party’s legal costs.
Other Types of Judgments
A single post is not enough to discuss every type of judgment in detail. Rather than do a deep dive, we have put together a summary of each of the most common types of judgments rendered in civil courts.
1. Declaratory Judgments
A declaratory judgment is a court decision that clarifies the rights and liabilities of the parties involved without requiring any further action. A classic example would be two parties to a contract who disagree over their individual rights and responsibilities. They may turn to a court to clarify matters before moving forward in their relationship. Declaratory judgements do not require enforcement because no further actions are necessary.
2. Injunction Judgments
There are times when parties go to court to either require something from another party or force that party to stop doing something. A successful lawsuit results in the court issuing an injunction against the defendant. This sort of order is known as an injunction judgment.
We see it all the time in government. For example, a state might sue the federal government in hopes of stopping some sort of federal action. In response, the court issues an injunction that prevents the federal government from going any further.
3. Interlocutory Judgments
A civil lawsuit can be so complex that there are pressing issues requiring resolution in order for the case to proceed. Settling such an issue would require an interlocutory judgment. In simple English, an interlocutory judgment is a temporary or interim judgment that addresses a specific issue within a case. A good example would be a preliminary injunction implemented on a temporary basis while the court considers the larger question at hand.
4. Consent Judgments
A consent judgment is more or less a settlement between parties. Rather than go to court and endure a trial, the two parties come to some sort of agreement. That agreement is put before the court for its approval. Once approved, it is official and enforceable.
We Work on Money Judgments
Although there are many different types of civil judgments, Judgment Collectors works only on money judgments. We are here to help you collect from a judgment debtor who may not be as cooperative as he could be. We put in the time. We invest the financial resources. We take the entire burden of collecting so that you can get back to other things.
Do not let collecting a money judgment keep you from more important things. Reach out to our team so that we can take a look at your case. If we can help you, we will make an offer you are free to accept or reject.