Judgment

Filed Under » ,
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Judgment'

A court order to the loser of a lawsuit to pay the winner a specified sum of money. If someone has been harmed in some way, they will seek to resolve the dispute in court and collect damages by filing a lawsuit. Judgments are usually monetary, but can also be nonmonetary. The judgment might force a contractor to complete a job, for example, rather than pay money. Most of the time, a judgment will be for a sum of money because money is the most appropriate form of compensation for the harm. A judgment, paid or unpaid, will remain on the debtor's credit report for seven years, but it will have a worse effect on their credit score of it is unpaid.

Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Judgment'

For the winner of a lawsuit, a court judgment is only the first step in getting the money they are owed. Actually collecting the money from the debtor can be a long, arduous and not always a successful process. However, judgments are legally enforceable. So, if the debtor does not voluntarily pay the judgment, the creditor can take steps such as conducting a debtor's examination, seizing bank accounts, putting a lien on the debtor's property or hiring a debt collector.

For example, if a borrower does not repay a loan or a credit card debt, the lender or creditor can obtain a judgment to force the borrower to pay. As another example, a landlord who evicted a tenant for not paying the rent might file a lawsuit to collect the unpaid rent, and if the landlord won the lawsuit, it would result in a judgment against the tenant.

Search results for

'Judgment'

  • Protect Your Personal Assets

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/08/family-limited-partnership.asp
    ... Why Is An FLP A Good Asset-Protection Device? Let's say your dog bites your neighbor,
    who sues you and receives a $500,000 judgment against you. ...

  • Assessing Bank Assets: Are Your Savings Safe?

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/fundamental-analysis/09/assessing-bank-assets.asp
    ... This gives management and accountants more leeway to use their judgment to value
    assets. ... Management judgment is applied to formulate these inputs. ...

  • 4 Businesses Making Money Off The Apocalypse - Investopedia.com

    http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0511/4-Businesses-Making-Money-Off-The-Apocalypse.aspx
    ... Camping, who heads the Family Radio station, had proclaimed that May 21
    was the 'day of rapture' and the start of Judgment Day. ...

  • Protect Your Company From Employee Lawsuits

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/07/employer-liability.asp
    ... If the insured company refuses this option and subsequently loses the case, then
    the company is liable to pay the judgment amount beyond the limit the insurer ...

  • Earnings Quality: Why Aren't All Earnings Equal? | Investopedia

    http://www.investopedia.com/university/accounting-earnings-quality/earnings3.asp
    ... its own judgment when recording business transactions. ... Evaluating management's judgment
    regarding its use of accruals is what accounting analysis is all about. ...

  • Why Bad Credit Is Bad For Financial Careers

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financialcareers/07/broker_credit.asp
    ... With that in mind, most employers will want to know whether a specific judgment
    or debt originated from a minor misunderstanding or from serious criminal ...

  • Equity Stripping Leaves Creditors Empty-Handed

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/mortgages-real-estate/09/equity-stripping-assets.asp
    ... owners retain control over the cash flows and use of the asset, while making the
    property unattractive to those trying to perfect any type of legal judgment. ...

  • Let Your Intuition Guide Your Investments

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/trading/09/intuition-trading.asp
    ... The ability to use intuition can be learned. Part of the trick is to become more
    conscious of your instinctive judgment and how it operates. ...

  • Understanding Property Deeds

    http://www.investopedia.com/articles/realestate/12/property-deeds-and-real-property.asp
    ... Sheriff's Deed - Is given to the successful bidder at an execution sale held to
    satisfy a judgment that has been obtained against the owner of the property. ...

  • 6 Common Pitfalls Of Brick-And-Mortar Shopping - Investopedia.com

    http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1111/6-Common-Pitfalls-Of-Brick-And-Mortar-Shopping.aspx
    ... philosophies. Most importantly, the internet equips us with the power of
    judgment when we make our most important investments. No ...

Related Articles

Partner Links