Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Maryland

Re: Collecting on a Judgment issued in California on party in Maryland

You cannot enforce (i.e. collect) on a non-Maryland judgment until it is domesticated in Maryland. This is a process whereby you obtain a certified copy of the California judgment and file it in Maryland. A new lawsuit must be started, but the proceeding is typically summary, meaning that most states will recognize the judgment and permit you to enforce it within a certain period of time after you serve the debtor (in Maryland) with a copy of the domesticated judgment.

The procedure can be tricky. We represent many out of state creditors who seek to domesticate sister state judgments in California. If you need a referral to an attorney in Maryland who can handle your case on a contingency or hourly basis, please email us.

Good luck.

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Re: Collecting on a Judgment issued in California on party in Maryland

You first must domesticate the judgment in Maryland, which is usually done through the Uniform Enforcement of Foreign (i.e., out-of-state) Judgments Act. Once that is done, and you have turned it into a MD judgment, you can issue appropriate writs -- not until then.