5/10/99 hndout.04
MAGISTRATE COURT
OF
JEFF DAVIS COUNTY
COLLECTION OF JUDGMENTS
Chief Magistrate
Chief Judge Chris A. Davenport
Magistrate
Judge Sharleen Graham
Prepared by
Judge Harvey L. Fry
COLLECTION OF JUDGMENTS
A person should think about collect ing
the judgment before his/her suit is filed.
Obtaining a money judgment against a defendant
represents only half t he work. The judgment
must be collected. When credit is advanced to an
individual, valuable information can be obtained
for later use in collecting a judgment. A credit
application may reveal checking account
information, including the account number, the
debtor's place of employment, and references to
real and personal property which may be levied
upon to satisfy a judgment.
The records in the county courthouse
may reveal information which can be useful in
satisfying a judgment. The tax assessors' office
maintains records of property ownership.
Records in the office of the clerk of courts also
reveal property ownership and transfers, records
of judgments, and security interest filings in the
Uniform Commercial Code filing dockets. The
records can certainly provide a starting point to
help det ermine whether an individual owns
property and whether money has been borrowed
against that property.
INTEREST ON JUDGMENTS
In computing the total amount due
upon a judgment, the holder of the judgment
must compute the interest which has accrued
s ince the rendering of the judgment. All
judgments in Georgia bear int eres t upon the
unpaid principal at the annual rate of 12%
(since July 1, 1986) unless the underlying
contract or obligation provides for a different
rat e, in which case the judgment would bear
interest at the rate specified in the underlying
written contract or obligation.
SATISFYING A JUDGMENT
In cases where the judgment is entered
by default, action can be taken immediately to
satisfy the judgment, either by garnishment or
levy upon the property of the defendant in fi
fa. Other judgments may not be enforced for a
period of ten days afte