ABSTRACT OF JUDGMENT

This refers to a document, the summary of a judgment by a court which states (i) the amount of money owed by a defendant to a prevailing plaintiff, (ii) the rate of interest which is payable on the judgment amount, (iii) the court costs, (iv) any additional orders of the court to which the defendant must abide. The abstract of judgment is stamped by the court and may be officially recorded by filing the abstract with the appropriate governmental body or entity (most common is a county clerk.) By obtaining an abstract of judgment, a prevailing plaintiff creates a public record and which may also create a lien, allowing the plaintiff to make claims on property (such as real property) that is or may later be owned by the losing defendant within the county in which the abstract of judgment is recorded.