General information
After trial, the judge will make a decision in the case. The judge's decision needs to be written up as a Judgment by the parties. Generally the person who "won" the case will write up the judge's decision into the proper format, show it to the other side for agreement, and then submit it to the court for signature.
If the other side agrees that the Judgment accurately reflects what the court decided, they sign the form indicating their agreement. The Judgment can then be taken to the Clerk's Office to arrange for signature by the judge.
If there is a dispute about the way the Judgment is written, a hearing needs to be scheduled for the judge to resolve the dispute.
Judgments are very specific to each case, but this information and these examples will help you write your own:
- Civil Court Rule CR 54 for Superior Court and CRLJ 54 for District Court has information about the Judgment
- An example of a Judgment in a specific case from Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender
Washington State Courts has a standard form for a:
All judgments for money should include a section that is a summary of the Judgment. After a Judgment is entered, if money is owed you can take steps to collect on the Judgment.
If you lost you may be able to file an appeal of the judge's decision.
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Chapter 20 pertains to after a trial judgments and appeals