Page 43 - Judgment Enforcement Course 1

Judgment Enforcement – The Step-by-Step Course

Judgments are good anywhere from 6 to 20 years, depending on the state. Old judgments

are as good as new ones. Maybe even better because there is interest added on each year—
7 to 12%. So ask if the older files are on the same floor, or in a different building. They
may be archived somewhere online. Your task is to find out where.

Goal 2: Ask how to get access to the case files

✓ If they are on computer, where are the computers?
✓ Figure out how you look up cases? By plaintiff/defendant name, or by case number,
or by each?

Sit down and play with the computer. Put in “Smith, John” and see what case numbers pop
up. You are learning the system.
Some courts may still have physical files right there in file folders, and there may be a

special viewing room where they provide the files you’ve requested. Other courts just hand
the files to you over the waiting room counter. In some counties (San Diego, CA, for
example) you can apply for a “researcher’s license” and actually go behind the counter and
pick through the files yourself.

Note: Local courthouse rules have different procedures. The courthouse closest to
you may have different rules from the court house 7 miles away. You want to know how
they are organized.

UGoal 3: Figure out the File Numbering System
Every case has a number. File numbers are sometimes coded in strange
ways; they will vary from state to state, and even county to county. For

example, a small claims file number may be SC 20901. The “SC” may
stand for small claims, or South County, or South Carolina. I’ve been in
dozens of court houses, and they all seem to have their own special
method. Weird, no?

One way to learn the file numbering system is to ask where you can find the current
“court docket.” The “docket” is a list of the court cases that will be heard this week or next
week. Then, examine the case numbers. One case number might read SB 18-00433. SB
might stand for South Bay or Santa Barbara. Ask the court clerk. The numbers—such as
rd P
the “18”—may refer to the year “2018”, and numbers 00433 probably means it is the 433P
court case that was filed that year.

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