IF I WIN, HOW DO I COLLECT MY MONEY?

1.) Ask the Magistrate Judge to order the entire amount you have won to be paid in a single payment. If the losing party cannot pay this amount, the Magistrate Judge may arrange a monthly or weekly payment schedule agree­ment.

2.) If you won the case by Default Judgment (because your oppo­nent did not appear in court), ask the Courtroom Clerk for the file and take it to the Clerk's Office to order a Certified Copy of the judgment. The certified copy of the judgment will be mailed to you. If you receive payment of the judg­ment, mail the lower portion of the certified copy of judgment to the Clerk's Office. This will notify the Clerk that the judgment has been paid and the case closed. The fee for a certified copy of judgment is $5.00.

3.) If you do not receive your money within a reasonable time, call the Clerk's Office to seek infor­mation on how to collect.

It is not the duty or function of the Court to pay or collect what is owed to you. It is your responsi­bility to take all the legal actions necessary to collect on your judgment.

If you know that the losing party has a bank account in the District of Columbia or is employed in the District of Columbia, you may issue a Writ of Attachment on the losing party's bank account or to their place of employment. Attachment forms are available to you in the Clerk's Office. There is a Court fee of $10.00.

4.) If you do not know of any assets of the losing party, visit the Small Claims Clerk's Office. The Clerk will assist you in issuing a subpoena to the losing party to appear in court for an Oral Examination as to the where­abouts of his/her assets. The fee is $10.00.