I live in ca and i sued my x. i won judgement and its been 7 months and not a dime. what legally can i do? ?

Question

I live in ca and i sued my x. i won judgement and its been 7 months and not a dime. what legally can i do? ?

Answer 1

If you intend to do this yourself, then read through the California Court's self-help site.

http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/selfhelp/

There's a section under "Small Claims" that gives you some basics.  Possibilities are wage garnishment, bank account levies, property seizures, etc.  If ex owns a retail business, you can "hire" a sheriff (or marshal, if your county still has those) to stand next to the cash register and take any money that comes in.

If you are talking a really large judgment, then you may want to hire a collection agency.

Another idea:  You can "agree" on a lesser settlement in exchange for not enduring the hassle of collection.  Something like, "Pay me now, and you only need to pay 80% in full satisfaction."

Answer 2

Every court has means to collect a judgment, such as wage garnishment, til tapping, seizure of certain property, etc.  It usually begins with asking the court for a judgment debtor examination.  There, the court will inquire into what assets the debtor has, and can then authorize appropriate methods of collection.