creditors rights Flashcards
When obtaining a judgment lien against a debtor’s real estate, this remedy is based on
the recording system for real estate.
For priority purposes, the general rule is that the first to
docket has priority over subsequent docketed liens.
The judgment lien actually arises when
the judgment is docketed in the real estate recording system and becomes visible, this is a public act.
A judgment is automatically docketed
by the clerk of court in the county where the judgment is rendered.
A judgment lien is a floating lien on
all non-exempt real property in the county, and it attaches automatically to after acquired property.
To then enforce a judgment lien the creditor must
ring a suit in equity in the city or county where the land is located.
A commissioner will be appointed to
determine ownership and interests in the property and then conducts a sale of the property.
The judgment lien creditor must
notify junior lien holders.
Unless they are joined, those junior interests are
not affected by the sale
if joined, junior interests
are cut off
Senior interests to that of the creditor holding the sale
aren’t affected by the sale, the purchaser will take subject to senior liens.
A deed of trust is
a security interest in land, synonymous with a mortgage
in a deed of trust,The debtor is the trustor, who
gives a deed of trust to a third party trustee who is typically connected with the lender, who is the beneficiary
When a default occurs, the lender instructs the trustee to
foreclose the deed of trust by sale
In Virginia, with a deed of trust: legal title to the property is conveyed to the trustee, and the debtor retains
the equitable right to repay the indebtedness secured by the trust and obtain the property upon full repayment
A trustee who sells a property after the buyer defaults may
first apply the proceeds to discharge the expenses of executing the trust
A creditor can also satisfy a judgment with a
writ of execution or fi fa, for tangible personal property
The writ of fi fa commands the officer to whom it is delivered to
locate the property of the debtor, seize it, and sell it to satisfy the judgment.
with a writ of fi fa, The lien is created by
a levy on the property by the sheriff, and the levy is the public act
For tangible personal property the clerk of the court must
issue a writ of fi fa within 21 days from the date of judgment unless otherwise instructed by the creditor, and the lien attaches at the time of the levy.
In order for the levy to be proper:
(i) the property must actually belong to the debtor at the time of the levy,
(ii) the sheriff must seize the property, or observe with the power to exercise control or dominion,
(iii) the sheriff must serve a copy of the writ on the judgment debtor,
(iv) the sheriff must describe the property seized in the return.
The sheriff can then conduct a public sale of the personal property.
A judgment lien attaches only to
the debtor’s interest in property, and it doesn’t attach to a tenancy by entirety
A creditor may attach a tenancy by the entirety only where
hey are owed a debt by the spouses as single unit, such as cosigning a loan.
a general creditor only has a claim against
the total assets of the debtor and must obtain a lien on the debtor’s property before the debtor can be forced to make payment
a secured creditor
possess a lien in specific property of the debtor.
When a court declares that a debtor is liable to a creditor for the payment of a sum of money, the creditor has a
judgment that gives them the right to enforce it through obtaining a lien on the debtor’s property and then converting that lien into money, usually by levying on the property.
To satisfy its claim, the creditor can acquire
liens on all debtor’s property except those exempt.
A public act such as recording or repossessing personal property is required to
give third parties notice of the judgment creditors interest in the property
Once the public act occurs
a creditor’s lien arises.
The lien settles the rights of the debtor and creditor on property subject to the lien unless
the debtor declares the property at issue to be exempt.
Every judgment for money rendered in Virginia by any state or federal court or by confession of judgment, is a lien on
all of the real estate in which the defendant has an interest, whether presently owned or subsequently acquired, from the time the judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket.
The judgment must be recorded on
the judgment lien docket maintained by the clerk for the circuit court within the jurisdiction of which the land is located.
since the judgment has been docketed by the clerk of the circuit court within the jurisdiction of which both residences lie, both the former and the current residence of the tortfeasor are subject to the tort victim’s judgment lien, even though the tort victim is entitled to
only one satisfaction.
even though the tort victim is entitled to recover only the amount of the money judgment, the judgment lien attaches automatically to
all real property owned or subsequently acquired from the time the judgment is properly recorded.
the judgment lien also attaches to real estate acquired
after the lien is recorded.
the homestead exemption does not prevent the attachment of a judgment lien, but merely
allocates, upon the enforcement of the lien through a sale, the protected portion of the sale proceeds to the Virginia householder.
Garnishment is a court proceeding in which
a creditor (garnishor) asks a court to order a third party (garnishee) who owes an intangible debt to the debtor, or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor (such as wages or bank accounts), to turn them over to the creditor instead of the debtor.
when a creditor is seeking to satisfy its judgment against the debtor through the debtor’s intangible personal property assets, the creditor should use
garnishment proceedings to obtain the money in the debtor’s local bank account and, at least, a portion of the debtor’s wages
Attachment involves a judicial process by which
the court orders a sheriff to levy upon property of a debtor-defendant in order to hold the property for satisfaction of a judgment.
In Virginia, distress creates
a pre-trial lien on the tenant’s tangible personal property
distress is not useful against
a debtor without tangible property
A writ of fieri facias is
a type of writ of execution
A writ of fieri facias is addressed to the sheriff and commands him to
sell the goods of the person against whom judgment has been obtained in order to pay the creditors.
The writ may be levied on
the current money and bank notes, and on the goods and chattels owned at that time by the judgment debtor
A writ of fieri facias is not used to
obtain intangible personal property owned by the judgment debtor
Certain transfers by a debtor may be
set aside by the debtor’s creditors.
Existing creditors, may challenge either
1) fraudulent transfers or
2) voluntary transfers made for less than fair market value.
As a basic rule, a gift, conveyance, assignment or transfer of real or personal property may be set aside if
it is intended to defraud creditors