Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Georgia

I went to small claims court in North Carolina and won a judgement against a man that "sold" us wood and never gave it to us. In essence stole our money. He was supposed to pay in installments and never did. He also sold his house so he would not have any assests. I got his bank to issue a levy against him. However I have read that some banks only have statewide levies and he might be albe to use branches across state lines. Is the judgement in North Carolina good in Georgia and South Carolina as well (those are the two other states with branches). I have read people claiming you can get a levy on an out of state judgement, but other people claim the opposite. Could someone please clear this up for me?


Asked on 2/20/16, 3:38 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Glen Ashman Ashman Law Office also dba Glen Ashman Attorney

Procedures vary but States have a procedure to record judgments from other states.

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Answered on 2/20/16, 5:13 am

It depends. As noted by Attorney Ashman, the NC judgment can be registered in any state where the debtor owns property (land or anything else like a bank account). Each state has its own procedures. Once registered, the judgment can be enforced just as if it was a judgment entered in that state. For example, if debtor banks in Georgia, you register the NC judgment in Georgia. They it can be enforced and if the man works in Georgia you can garnish his wages.

It depends on where the man banks though. If its a national bank that has branches throughout the US and a branch in NC, you can take the judgment to the NC bank and have them levy the account even though the man actually opened his account at an out-of-state branch. This works for banks like Wells Fargo, PNC, Bank of America, Sun Trust and other places. If, however, the man banks at a place that is ONLY in GA or SC or some state other than NC and the bank does not have a branch in NC, then you must have the judgment registered in that state in order to enforce it. I suggest that you consult with a lawyer in that other state to discuss registering and enforcing it.

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Answered on 2/24/16, 7:53 pm


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