When you win an Ohio court case against someone who owes you a debt, you may expect the money owed to you to arrive in a timely manner. However, just because a judge or jury orders a judgment against someone does not mean it is going to be easy to collect the debt owed to you. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to figure out how to collect the money owed to you, and you have several options available that may help you do so.
Per the Hamilton County Municipal Court, once you win a judgment, you become a “judgment creditor.” The party that owes you the debt, meanwhile, becomes the “judgment debtor.” You may decide to use one or more of the following methods to collect a debt owed by the judgment debtor.
Wage garnishment
Wage garnishment requires a court order, but once you have it, your debtor’s employer has a legal obligation to withhold a portion of his or her paycheck until you get what this individual owes you.
Non-wage garnishment
Another possible collection tactic involves garnishing something other than a debtor’s wages, such as existing assets the indebted party already owns.
Real estate liens
Another option for collecting a debt owed to you involves placing a real estate lien on the debtor’s property. This prevents that party from selling or refinancing the home until he or she satisfies the judgment.
While these are some of the more common ways you might collect a judgment in Ohio, this is not an exhaustive list of all possible ways to do so.
