Most judgments (the court order saying what you're owed) expire in 10 years. This means you can't collect on it after 10 years. To avoid this, you can ask the court to renew it. A renewal lasts 10 years.
Debt collectors may not be able to sue you to collect on old (time-barred) debts, but they may still try to collect on those debts. In California, there is generally a four-year limit for filing a lawsuit to collect a debt based on a written agreement.
If you are: a person (this includes sole-proprietors) you may claim up to $12,500; if you are a Corporation, limited liability company or partnership, you may claim up to $6,250.
Debt collectors may not be able to sue you to collect on old (time-barred) debts, but they may still try to collect on those debts. In California, there is generally a four-year limit for filing a lawsuit to collect a debt based on a written agreement.
If you attempt to contact creditors and dispute the debt, your actions could cause the clock to restart, thus allowing creditors more time to take legal action against you.
To do this, fill out an EJ-001 Abstract of Judgment form and take it to the clerk's office. After the clerk stamps it, record it at the County Recorder's Office in the county where the property is located. Place a lien on a business.
If the judgment debtor owns real property, you may record an Abstract of Judgment with the County Recorder which will act as a lien against all real property owned by the judgment debtor in the county in which the lien is recorded. Complete an Abstract of Judgment (EJ-001)PDF and submit to the court to be issued.
(b) Notice of entry of judgment Promptly upon entry of the award as a judgment, the clerk must serve notice of entry of judgment on all parties who have appeared in the case and must execute a certificate of service and place it in the court's file in the case. (Subd (b) amended effective January 1, 2016.)
The Superior Court of Contra Costa implemented its E-filing system in 2022. They selected Odyssey Case Manager from Tyler Technologies, a software solution in use by 29 of the 58 courts in the state.