Enforcing a Judgment There are several ways to collect on a judgment in Texas. In the most straight-forward way, you can begin the collections process by filing an “abstract of judgment” in the county clerk's office where you believe the judgment debtor owns non-exempt real property.
Except as provided in (1), a plaintiff who seeks a default judgment against a defendant must request a hearing, orally or in writing. The plaintiff must appear at the hearing and provide evidence of its damages. If the plaintiff proves its damages, the judge must render judgment for the plaintiff in the amount proven.
Depending on whether your pleading was verified, or not, this can be as quick as a few days in cases where the clerk can enter default, or as long as a few weeks in the event a hearing is necessary in order to secure a default judgment.
A Texas judgment is valid for ten years from the date it is signed by the judge. After the expiration of ten years the judgment is dormant for two years. During that two year period of dormancy the judgment cannot be enforced.
The plaintiff should make a written request for the clerk to enter a default judgment, and provide the clerk with an affidavit of the amount owed by the defendant and a proposed clerk's default judgment. Internal Procedures: All documents are forwarded to the docket clerk for processing within 24 hours.
Do judgments expire in Texas? Judgments awarded in Texas to a non-government creditor are generally valid for ten years but can be renewed for longer. If a judgment is not renewed, it will become dormant. A creditor can request to revive a dormant judgment to continue to try and collect the debt.
Generally, to file a judgment lien, an abstract of judgment must be issued by the justice court. Some justice courts have a form available on their website to request an abstract of judgment.
Do judgments expire in Texas? Judgments awarded in Texas to a non-government creditor are generally valid for ten years but can be renewed for longer. If a judgment is not renewed, it will become dormant. A creditor can request to revive a dormant judgment to continue to try and collect the debt.
CALIFORNIA. A judgment and any lien created by an execution on the judgment expires ten years after the date of the entry of the judgment. Cal. Civ.
The statute of limitations on debt in Texas is four years.