Judgment
Candlefocus EditorIn Personam judgments are court orders that establish the legal relationship between two individual parties, and which may impose an obligation or liability on one of the parties. In other words, this type of ruling will establish who is owed what and how much between two people or parties.
In rem judgments, on the other hand, are court orders establishing the title and ownership of a piece of property; typically determining who has rights to the property, or who is its rightful owner. This type of decision can be reached in cases where two parties are disputing a claim to the ownership of a certain item, for example land.
Finally, quasi in rem judgments are also used to establish title and ownership of property rights, but are used in cases where a judgment debtor has an interest in the property being determined. This term is mostly used in cases involving mortgage enforcement or foreclosure.
A judgment can usually be in the form of a monetary or non-monetary order. Monetary judgments are usually money awards deciding how much compensation one party should pay the other, whilst non-monetary judgments stipulate that an action should be taken. They are both legally enforceable and their terms and conditions must be carried out by the parties involved.
Criminal judgments, however, are slightly different to civil judgments. This type of court order is the outcome of legal action by the government for breaking criminal laws. In such cases, criminal sanctions will usually be imposed by the court on the defendant, such as loss of freedom, fines and even death sentences in some jurisdictions.
If a judgment is for a monetary amount, creditors can collect their judgment by seizing the money or property of the debtor. This is done by taking out various enforcement mechanisms, such as obtaining an order from the court to seize the assets of the debtor.
In conclusion, judgment is the term used to refer to court orders that settle disputes between parties or establish ownership of property rights. Depending on the type of judgment, this court order can contain both monetary and non-monetary awards which are legally enforceable. In cases of creditors and debtors, a monetary judgment can be collected by seizing the money or property of a debtor.