Judgement Enforcement

After successfully prosecuting a case, you get a judgment; but a judgment is just a piece of paper. In some situations, obtaining a judgment can simply be the end of a first act in a long play.

Sophisticated judgment debtors may have been preparing for a loss in court by expatriating assets, parking them with family members, or creating trusts. When the losing party fails or refuses to pay your judgment (or just disappears) there is sometimes much you can do, but it can be daunting.

The attorneys at Ford O’Brien Landy LLP have experience in representing judgment creditors in post-judgment proceedings where the winners in underlying cases can demand information from individuals and financial institutions, freeze assets, and ultimately collect their judgments.

Our lawyers also have experience representing plaintiffs in matters where judgment debtors have sought to make themselves “judgment proof” by hiding their assets. These cases often involve the need for an effective private investigator, and can often lead to new litigation as plaintiffs seeks to undo the judgment debtor’s efforts to shield assets.