Jurisdiction 

The Magistrate Court has jurisdiction to “domesticate” foreign judgments. If you obtained a judgment outside of the State of Georgia and the judgment debtor lives in Athens-Clarke County, you can file an affidavit to have the Court enforce the judgment here.

Procedures for Filing 

The judgment creditor or its attorney must file a written affidavit to enforce the foreign judgment, along with a certified copy of the judgment from the other state The written affidavit must provide the name and address of the judgment creditor, its attorney (if any), and the judgment debtor. The Court does not provide a form affidavit.

Filing Fee

The filing fee is $50.00 per case. Checks should be made payable to the Magistrate Court.
Answer

The Clerk will notify the judgment debtor of the filing of the affidavit by certified mail. Upon receipt of the mail, the Defendant has 30 days to respond to the Court.

Hearing

If the judgment debtor responds, the Clerk will schedule a hearing within 30 days. If the judgment debtor does not respond, the Clerk will notify the Judge, who can decide whether to “domesticate” the judgment without a hearing. Once the Judge approves the foreign judgment, the judgment creditor can take action to collect on the judgment by Writ of Fi Fa, garnishment or levy.