Mendocino — SC-200-INFO

Source: http://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/sc200info.pdf

SC-200-INFO What to Do After the Court Decides Your Small Claims Case

First, read the court's decisions on Notice of Entry of Judgment (either form SC-130 or form SC-200). It will tell you the court’s judgment in this case. Then read this form. It will help you protect or enforce your rights, whether you won or lost the case. Warning! You may lose important rights if you do not act within 30 days after the court handed or mailed you Notice of Entry of Judgment. If the court mailed Notice of Entry of Judgment, the date of mailing is on Clerk's Certificate of Mailing that came with the notice.

If the court did not award you any money on a claim that you filed…The court’s decision on your claim is normally final. You cannot appeal the decision on your own claim, but you may be allowed to ask the court to correct a mistake in the judgment. If the court ordered you to pay money… If the court ordered the other side to pay you… You are the judgment debtor. The law requires you to pay You are the judgment creditor. You must collect yourthe judgment. You can: judgment. The court will not collect it for you. Some steps Pay the judgment creditor directly; you can take to collect your money are summarized below. For more information, go to selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/small- Pay the court (to do so, file form SC-145, Request to Pay claims/after-trial/if-you-win. Judgment to Court); or Important! The judgment debtor has 30 days after being Ask the court to let you make payments (to do so, file handed or mailed Notice of Entry of Judgment to appeal or form SC-220, Request to Make Payments). pay or ask the court to cancel or correct the judgment. You cannot take legal steps to collect the judgment during thisIf any payment is not made in full and on time, the judgment time.creditor may notify the court to cancel the payment plan and the entire unpaid balance will become due and collectible. Ask the judgment debtor to pay you the money. If the judgment debtor cannot afford to pay the judgment all atWarning! If you do not pay the judgment or file an once, consider offering to take payments. If your claim wasappeal or a motion to vacate (cancel) or correct the for possession of property, ask the judgment debtor tojudgment within 30 days after Notice of Entry of Judgment return the property to you.was handed or mailed to you, your wages, money, and property can be taken to pay the claim. You may also have If the judgment debtor does not pay, you can find out to pay interest. If your case involves an auto accident on a about the debtor's income or property that the sheriff can California highway, the Department of Motor Vehicles take to satisfy the judgment. (DMV) can suspend your driver's license. If the debtor does not pay within 30 days after the court After you pay the judgment in full, you can ask the clerk delivered or mailed Notice of Entry of Judgment, the judgment creditor to file a form saying the judgment is paid. debtor must send you form SC-133, Judgment Debtor's (See form SC-290, Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Statement of Assets. This form will tell you what money Judgment.) If the judgment creditor does not do this, they and property the debtor has that may be used to pay the may have to pay you damages and a penalty. judgment. If you disagree with the judgment ordering you to pay If the debtor does not send you the completed form money and you went to the small claims trial, you can SC-133, you can file form SC-134, Application and Order appeal that decision. (You cannot appeal the decision on to Produce Statement of Assets and to Appear for your own claim.) To do so, file form SC-140, Notice of Examination. In this form, you can also ask the court to Appeal, within 30 days after Notice of Entry of Judgment award you your attorney fees, expenses, and other was handed or mailed to you. There will be a new trial in the appropriate relief. If Notice of Entry of Judgment says the superior court on all claims in the case. Each side will judgment includes an amount "concerning consumer present evidence again. This time, each side can have a debt," file form SC-136, Application and Order to Produce lawyer at the trial. Financial Statement or Appear for Examination— Consumer Debt, instead of form SC-134. (Continued on page 2) (Continued on page 2)

Judicial Council of California, courts.ca.gov Rev. January 1, 2026, Optional Form What to Do After the Court SC-200-INFO, Page 1 of 2 Decides Your Small Claims Case

If the court ordered you to pay money… If the court ordered the other side to pay (continued) you… (continued)

If you disagree with the judgment ordering you to pay If the debtor does send you form SC-133, you can money, and you did not go to the trial, you can ask the still have the debtor come to court to answer court to vacate (cancel) the judgment. To do so, file form questions about income and property. To do so, file SC-135, Notice of Motion to Vacate Judgment and form EJ-125, Application and Order for Appearance and Declaration, within 30 days* after Notice of Entry of Examination. If Notice of Entry of Judgment says the Judgment was handed or mailed to you. If the court denies judgment includes an amount "concerning consumer your request, you have until 10 days from the date the debt," file form EJ-141, Application and Order to Appear notice of denial is mailed to file an appeal. for Examination—Consumer Debt, instead of form EJ-125.*Exception: If the claim against you was not properly served, you have 180 days from the date that you found out To obtain the judgment debtor’s financial records from (or should have found out) about the judgment against you another person or a company at a hearing, fill out form to file a request to cancel the judgment. SC-107, Small Claims Subpoena and Declaration, take it Unless you pay the judgment or file an appeal or a to the small claims court clerk to be issued, and then motion as discussed above, you must complete form have it served. SC-133, Judgment Debtor's Statement of Assets, and Once you know about the judgment debtor's incomedeliver it to the judgment creditor within 30 days after the and property, you can ask the sheriff to take that propertyclerk delivered or mailed Notice of Entry of Judgment. to pay you. (Property that may be taken includes wages, bank accounts, automobiles, business property, and rentalWarning! If you do not deliver the completed form SC-133, income.) To do so, fill out and ask the court clerk to issuethe court can order you to pay attorney fees and impose form EJ-130, Writ of Execution. Then, take the form to theother penalties. sheriff's office with a description of the debtor's property. You can also put a lien on the judgment debtor's house or other real estate. To do so, fill out and ask the court clerk to issue form EJ-001, Abstract of Judgment—Civil and Small Claims. Then, take or mail the Abstract to the county recorder's office in the county where you think the debtor owns real property. If the judgment debtor sells, refinances, or buys real property in that county, your judgment should be paid from the debtor's funds. After the judgment has been paid in full, you must fill out an Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment and file it with the court clerk. If Abstract of Judgment—Civil and Small Claims (form EJ-001) has not been recorded, you may use form SC-130 or form SC-290. If an abstract has been recorded, use form EJ-100. Warning! If you do not file an Acknowledgment of Satisfaction of Judgment, you may have to pay the judgment debtor damages and a penalty.

You may need to pay fees to the court, the county recorder's office, or the sheriff for filing, issuing, and
recording papers and doing the other things discussed above. Sometimes, you can ask the court to order the
other side to repay you for these expenses.
Need help? For free help, contact your county’s
small claims advisor: ? [local info here]

Or visit selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/small-claims-advisor.

Rev. January 1, 2026 What to Do After the Court SC-200-INFO, Page 2 of 2 Decides Your Small Claims Case For your protection and privacy, please press the Clear button after you have printed the form. Print Save Clear