Civil Judgment

• A civil judgment cannot be entered against you until you have lost in civil court. If you fail to make an appearance or otherwise lose your action against the adverse party, the court may enter a civil judgment against you. Civil judgments are not self-enforcing and the other party will need to take action to collect from you.
  
  

Credit Score

• If you have an outstanding civil judgment against you, it may appear on your credit score and negatively affect your credit. In some states, if you pay the judgment before it is recorded, it will never appear on your credit score. Additionally, if you settle the case before it reaches judgment you will not have to worry about the action negatively affecting your credit score.
  
  

Property

• If the adverse party is able to identify real property which you own, they may be able to file a lien against your personal property such as your car, your house, your stocks and bonds, your bank accounts or any other assets that can be directly tied to you. Additionally, the adverse party may request that the sheriff seize your personal property in order to satisfy the judgment.
  
  

Other Options

• In addition to liens, seizures and negative credit ratings, the adverse party may send the judgment to a collection agency which could result in constant contact from the agency. Additionally, the adverse party may file an income execution or wage garnishment action which would require your employer to hand over a portion of every paycheck you receive.