Legal Question in Appeals and Writs in California

Re: small claims judgment, paid by insurance co., how to record

Your question is confusing. Are you the defendant or the plaintiff?

When a judgment is satisfied, that means the defendant or HIS insurer paid the judgment, and there is nothing left for the defendant to do under the judgment. A plaintiff whose own insurer pays its judgment against a third party (the defendant) still has an outstanding judgment against that defendant until HE or HIS insurer pays it.

A plaintiff's insurer which pays its own insured's claim for property damage has subrogation rights as a matter of law, and under its policy and does not need a letter from the insured to be able to enforce the judgment. It is not harmful for the insured to give such an agreement provided the insured has gotten all of its damages arising from the defendant's act, because frequently the injured party's insurer will not pay for all damage the injured party incurs. That means the plaintiff injured party judgment creditor still has the right to collect against the defendant judgment debtor for all uninsured losses, and the insurer has to wait (generally) until its own insured has been made whole.