Judgment Debtor Hearing

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Court forms are available at California Courts – Forms. Select “Small Claims” from the pull down menu. Forms are also available at the Court Clerk’s office. Completed Sample Forms are available here. Starting September 2, 2021 all litigants in Small Claims Court can appear virtually or telephonically for FREE. Read the details from the court here. 

If you win your case, the money awarded to you by the court is called a judgment. You become the judgment creditor, and the person who owes you the money is the judgment debtor. If you don’t know what assets the debtor has, you can request a Judgment Debtor Hearing. At the hearing, you may ask the debtor questions about their job, bank accounts, home, car, and other assets. To help guide your questions, you can print and bring a Judgment Debtor Questionnaire to the hearing. The information you collect can help you decide where to direct the Sheriff to collect your money.

You may also request to examine a third party who has specific financial information about the judgment debtor. For example, a real estate broker may have details about commissions owed to a real estate agent working under their license. To request this type of examination, use the EJ-125 Application and Order for Examination form.

Judgment Debtor’s Statement of Assets (Form SC-133)

When a judgment is entered, the court will mail a copy of the judgment and a Judgment Debtor’s Statement of Assets (Form SC-133) to the judgment debtor. This form notifies the debtor of their mandatory obligation to complete and deliver it to the judgment creditor within 30 days of the mailing of the Notice of Entry of Judgment. In the form, the debtor must disclose information about their employment, bank accounts, real estate, vehicles, and other assets. The creditor can use this information to determine which assets may be subject to collection, such as wages, bank accounts, or property, and to decide whether to involve the sheriff to pursue garnishment.     

Failure to complete and return this form may result in court sanctions. 

Requesting a Judgment Debtor Hearing for Non-Consumer Debt Related Cases

As a court requirement, judgment debtors must complete the Judgment Debtor’s Statement of Assets (Form SC-133) and deliver it to the judgment creditor within 30 days of the date the Notice of Entry of Judgment was mailed. If the judgment creditor does not receive the completed form and wishes to enforce their right to it, they must:

1. Complete the form SC-134 Order to Produce Statement of Assets and to Appear for Examination.
2. Submit the completed form to the clerk’s office at the court where the case was originally heard.
3. Pay the filing fee.
4. The clerk will return the filed copies with a scheduled hearing date. You must have the Sheriff or a Registered Process Server personally serve the form to the Judgment Debtor at least 30 days before the hearing. You must also include a blank copy of the Form SC-133 to be served along with the order.
5. If you want the Judgment Debtor to bring documents to the hearing, serve them with Form SC-107 Small Claims Subpoena. This is the only document you can legally serve yourself. However, you may also choose to have it served by someone else.

NOTE: If you do not wish to enforce your right to receive a completed Form SC-133, you may instead choose to serve Form EJ-125. The same service rules outlined above will apply.

Consumer Debt Related Cases

A judgment that is awarded on or after January 1, 2025 , concerning consumer debt will be subject to specific rules. Consumer debt is defined as any obligation of a consumer to pay money arising out of a transaction in which the money, property, insurance, or services which are the subject of the transaction are primarily for personal, family, or household purposes. Consumer debt does not include judgments for unpaid wages, damages, or penalties owed to an employee, nor does it include rental debt.

Requesting a Judgment Debtor Hearing for Consumer Debt Related Cases

If the court has determined that your judgment was awarded regarding a consumer debt, you will not be able to use the Form SC-134 (or the EJ-125) to conduct a judgment debtor hearing. Instead use the following:

1. Complete the form SC-136 Order to Produce Statement of Assets and to Appear for Examination – Consumer Debt.
2. Submit the completed form to the clerk’s office at the court where your case was originally heard.
3. Pay the filing fee.
4. The clerk will return the filed copies with a scheduled hearing date. You must have the Sheriff or a Registered Process Server personally serve the form to the Judgment Debtor at least 30 days before the hearing. You must also include a blank copy of the Form SC-133 to be served along the order.
5. If you want the Judgment Debtor to bring documents to the hearing, serve them with Form SC-107 Small Claims Subpoena. This is the only document you may legally serve yourself. However, you may also choose to have it served by someone else.

Information the Debtor Should Bring to Court

To help you collect the money owed, you will want the Judgment Debtor to bring financial information that reveals their assets and income. Below are examples of what you should request the Debtor to bring to the hearing:

• Driver license
• Social Security Card
• Marriage certificate
• Name and address of employer
• Most recent paycheck receipts or stubs
• All bank account statements
• All real estate deeds for property owned by the Debtor

To order the Debtor to bring this information, you should subpoena the information from them.

Getting a Subpoena

An SC-107 Small Claims Subpoena orders the Judgment Debtor to bring financial information to the hearing. To obtain a subpoena:

• Fill out the form SC-107 Small Claims Subpoena for Personal Appearance and Production of Documents.
• File the form with the court clerk’s office. There is no filing fee.
• Serve the subpoena on the Judgment Debtor at least 10 days before the hearing.

If the Debtor lives far away

If the Debtor lives more than 150 miles away from the court where the judgment was entered, you must request a hearing at a court in the county where the Judgment Debtor lives. Contact a Small Claims Advisor at (800) 593-8222 to find out the procedure.

The hearing

At the hearing, you may question the Judgment Debtor about their job, bank account, home, car, and other assets that could help you collect the judgment. You are allowed to have an attorney represent you if you choose. The hearing is not recorded, so be prepared to take detailed notes on the information you receive. You may also ask the Judge to order the Judgment Debtor to empty their pockets, and if they have cash on them, the judge may allow you to collect it on the spot. 

After the hearing

Use the information you gathered to have the Sheriff assist in collecting your judgment. You are allowed to schedule one hearing every 120 days (365 days for Consumer Debt Cases).

If the Debtor does not come to court

If the Judgment Debtor fails to appear at the hearing, you may ask the Judge to issue a bench warrant. This warrant orders the Judgment Debtor to contact the court and schedule a new hearing. The court will not recall the warrant until the debtor complies. You must pay the Sheriff a fee to issue the bench warrant.

Court forms are available at California Courts – Forms.  Select “Small Claims” from the pull down menu. Forms are also available at the Court Clerk’s office. County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer and Business Affairs. Last change: July 29, 2025.