Rule 18A Stay of execution of judgment

If you lose a case in magistrate court and you file an appeal on time, or you file a motion asking the court to set aside the judgment, the other side cannot start collecting on that judgment right away. The judgment gets put on hold until your appeal or motion is decided.

This means wages cannot be garnished, property cannot be seized, and other collection efforts cannot move forward while your case is still being reviewed. The key thing to remember is that you have to file your appeal or motion on time for this protection to kick in. If you miss the deadline, the other side can move forward with collecting the judgment against you.

Once the court makes a decision on your appeal or motion, the hold on the judgment ends. If you win, the judgment may be changed or thrown out. If you lose, the other side can then move forward with collecting what is owed.