{"id":359861,"date":"2022-03-10T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/?p=359861"},"modified":"2022-04-18T11:20:57","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T17:20:57","slug":"what-is-a-judgment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.creditrepair.com\/blog\/credit-101\/what-is-a-judgment\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a judgment? Understanding your rights"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure regarding our editorial content standards<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judgment is a legal decision issued by a court as a result of a lawsuit. If a debt collection agency successfully sues you, they can use a judgment to try to collect your debt in more forceful ways\u2014like wage garnishment or liens on your property. While judgments rarely end up on your credit report, they are still part of the public record and may make it harder to open lines of credit in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judgments can be hard to handle, as they usually add challenges to already difficult situations. If you\u2019re already struggling financially, facing a judgment could mean that debt collectors have access to money and property that you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, there are steps you can take in response to a judgment. Read on to learn more about how judgments work, what to do if a judgment is entered against you and how to avoid judgments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does a judgment work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you fail to pay a debt you legitimately owe, a collection agency may file a lawsuit against you. If you don\u2019t respond to the court summons or the collection agency wins the case, you could have a judgment entered against you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The collection agency can use the judgment to try to collect money that you owe them. In most cases, the debt collector will use one or more of the following methods, which will be ordered by the court:<\/p>\n\n\n\n