How can a judgment be enforced when immediate payment is not made?

How can a judgment be enforced when immediate payment is not made?

• A. Trial de novo
• B. Dismissal
• C. Writs of execution or garnishment
• D. Referral to mediation

Answer: (C)

When a judgment is entered but the loser does not pay right away, you use post-judgment remedies to collect. In North Carolina, the main tools are writs of execution and garnishment. A writ of execution goes to the sheriff and allows seizure of the debtor’s non-exempt property, with that property sold to satisfy the judgment. Garnishment lets the creditor reach money owed to the debtor by third parties—such as wages, bank accounts, or other debts—to apply toward the judgment. These are the standard enforcement methods to compel payment when voluntary payment doesn’t occur. The other options aren’t enforcement mechanisms: a trial de novo is a new trial, not collection; dismissal ends the case; mediation is a negotiation process and doesn’t enforce payment.

When a judgment is entered but the loser does not pay right away, you use post-judgment remedies to collect. In North Carolina, the main tools are writs of execution and garnishment. A writ of execution goes to the sheriff and allows seizure of the debtor’s non-exempt property, with that property sold to satisfy the judgment. Garnishment lets the creditor reach money owed to the debtor by third parties—such as wages, bank accounts, or other debts—to apply toward the judgment. These are the standard enforcement methods to compel payment when voluntary payment doesn’t occur.

The other options aren’t enforcement mechanisms: a trial de novo is a new trial, not collection; dismissal ends the case; mediation is a negotiation process and doesn’t enforce payment.