One of the most informative tools to use when looking for the outcome of a lawsuit is a record search. Record searches allow attorneys and individuals to research the outcomes of judgments on certain cases and civil actions. Records searches can contain child support judgments, judgment liens and patriot name searches. Learn about these three types of judgment searches and discover how they can be applied and used to facilitate and resolve real-world scenarios.
Child Support Judgment Search
Child support judgment searches are largely used to determine whether a person owes child support before a court or attorney releases settlements, inheritance or other monetary awards or conveys property.
Child Support Judgment Search: Real World Scenario
An individual is awarded a monetary award as the result of a malpractice suit. Before his or her attorney releases the cash settlement after the ruling, the attorney carries out a child support judgment search and learns that the winner of the case owes $20,000 in child support payments.
The settlement money being awarded must be used to pay off the back-owed child support payments, or the attorney can choose not to release the settlement until the back-owed amount is paid.
Judgment Liens
A judgment lien is typically the result of a court ruling if a debtor stops making agreed-upon payments or tort actions. When payments stop, a court can rule a judgment lien on the property to ensure the payments continue from the debtor. A judgment lien is considered a “strike” against a property that must be extinguished before a property can be refinanced. Judgment liens against a debtor are a lien against all of his or her real property in the state.
Visit this comprehensive blog post for more about judgment liens including the two types of liens, how to remove a lien and tips for using a judgment search properly. If you still have questions about judgment liens, visit our judgment and record search page for more information.
Judgment Liens: Real World Scenario
A business is interested in purchasing a property for use as a commercial space. The business owner carries out a NJ upper court judgment search, also known as a lien search, to check the lien status of the property.
The property owner happens to have a judgment lien against it; the interested business consults the party that holds the judgment lien and either pays off the total, or figures out a course of action that leaves both parties satisfied. The business is then able to purchase the property for their desired purposes.
Patriot Name Search
A patriot name search, also known as a patriot search, is part of the 2001 Patriot Act, which was enacted after the 9/11 terrorist attack. It requires individuals taking part in a financial action of some type, such as signing up for a new bank account or entering an agreement on a piece of real estate, to be checked against a database of known international terrorists. This was put in place to ensure known terrorists do not conduct business with financial institutions or purchase or rent real estate in the United States. Patriot name searches are able to flag known or suspected individuals who have affiliations with terrorist groups, and provide details as to the history and nature of the individual’s affiliation with said groups.
Patriot Name Search: Real World Scenario
An individual wishes to purchase a piece of real estate. As part of the process of purchasing that real estate, the individual is checked via a patriot name search to guarantee that he or she doesn’t have a past or current affiliation with known terrorist groups.
If the individual’s name doesn’t appear in the database, he or she is cleared for purchase of the real estate or cleared to continue with the transaction. If the individual’s name does appear on the patriot name search list, the real estate or financial transaction will be denied. In some cases, instructions will even be given about how to report and file the interaction with the individual.
Wrapping Up
Record searches provide a great tool for attorneys, title professionals and other legal professionals to check important financial and general details about an individual they’re dealing with. Child support judgment searches will reveal if an individual has back-owed child support payments that could affect the sum of cash winnings in court. A judgment lien has a direct effect on the purchase of property and the conditions of a loan between a debtor and the owning party. A patriot name search is a crucial step in any large financial or real estate transaction that identifies if an individual is a danger to the United States or has affiliations with dangerous terrorist organizations.
We also provided some hypothetical real-world examples, but understand that every situation is different. If you have questions regarding a judgment or record search, reach out to a qualified professional for accurate, timely information.
