Legal Definitions - not satisfied

Not satisfied is a specific legal phrase used by law enforcement officers, such as a sheriff or constable, when they report back to a court about their attempt to enforce a financial judgment.

When a court orders someone to pay money (a judgment), the person owed the money can ask the court for a document called a "writ of execution." This writ instructs a law enforcement officer to try and collect the judgment amount, often by seizing the debtor's assets. If the officer attempts to collect but is unsuccessful, they must file a report with the court detailing the outcome.

A return stating "not satisfied" means simply that the full amount of the judgment was not collected. However, this particular phrasing is often considered incomplete or "technically deficient" because it does not explain *why* the collection failed. It doesn't specify whether the debtor had no assets to seize, could not be located, or if there was another reason the writ could not be fulfilled.

• Example 1: Business Debt Collection

  A small manufacturing company, "Precision Parts Inc.," won a court judgment of $25,000 against a client, "Assembly Solutions LLC," for a large unpaid invoice. Precision Parts Inc. then obtained a writ of execution, instructing the county sheriff to collect this amount from Assembly Solutions LLC. After several attempts to locate assets or funds, the sheriff filed a report with the court stating simply, "writ of execution not satisfied."

  Explanation: This example illustrates the term because the sheriff's report indicates that the $25,000 judgment was not successfully collected. However, the report is considered "not satisfied" in the legal sense because it fails to provide the court with crucial details, such as whether Assembly Solutions LLC had no identifiable assets, had ceased operations, or if the sheriff encountered other specific obstacles. The court and Precision Parts Inc. are left without a clear understanding of *why* the collection failed.

• Example 2: Personal Loan Judgment

  After a friend failed to repay a $5,000 personal loan, Maria sued and obtained a court judgment against him. She then secured a writ of execution, directing a local constable to seize non-exempt assets from her friend to satisfy the debt. The constable later submitted a return to the court stating, "judgment not satisfied."

  Explanation: Here, the constable's report signifies that the $5,000 judgment against Maria's friend was not successfully collected. This return is an instance of "not satisfied" because it provides no specific reasons for the inability to collect the money, such as whether the friend had no assets that could be legally seized, or if he could not be found to serve the writ properly.