ABA Family Legal Guide

How the Legal System Works

The Civil Trial: Step by Step

Procedures After Trial

If the plaintiff wins, what happens next?

After the court enters judgment in favor of the plaintiff, a formal judicial order commanding the defendant to pay the compensation awarded is usually made. But winning a verdict may only be the beginning of a plaintiff's efforts to secure a remedy.

If a defendant against whom a judgment has been entered does not pay, the plaintiff will have to initiate collection proceedings. The plaintiff may have to seek orders from a judge that the defendant's property be sold, or that an amount be deducted periodically from the defendant's wages in order to satisfy the judgment.