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<p class="MsoNormal">This particular judgment isn’t recorded at all, just entered with the court in the same county as the real property.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A title company’s standard title search probably only includes a search for judgments in the court of the same county as the real property. Technically, a judgment entered in County X doesn’t attach as a lien on real property in County
Y until an abstract of the judgment is recorded in County Y. RCW 4.56.200(3). So for title purposes, I think it should be enough to search the county court for judgments, and consult the county recorder’s records, to determine potential liens. Or so I think—there
are probably exceptions I don’t know about that Dwight Bickel or John McCrady will school me on.<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Eric<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Eric C. Nelsen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sayre Law Offices, PLLC<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">206-625-0092<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:eric@sayrelawoffices.com"><span style="color:#467886">eric@sayrelawoffices.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com <wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Inge Fordham<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, October 14, 2026 2:01 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Real Property Listserv <wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [WSBARP] Title commitment and criminal judgment liens<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">In my experience, if a judgment has been recorded against the subject property (referencing the parcel number, etc.), it appears (or should appear) in a title search. I’m not sure what the title company considers
a “standard title search,” but title companies I’ve worked with often search for judgments in the county in which the subject property is located. They do not, however, search other counties. This often comes up in the context of probates where proceedings
are filed in one county and the subject property is located in another county. Eric, was the judgment you referenced recorded against the property for which the search was conducted? Judgments are sometimes recorded without referencing a specific property,
but if the recording was in a different county than the property, I wouldn’t expect it to show up in a standard search (which is scary for folks investigating whether to purchase property).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="color:black">From:
</span></b><span style="color:black"><a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>> on behalf of Setareh Mahmoodi <<a href="mailto:sm@lawofficesofsm.com">sm@lawofficesofsm.com</a>><br>
<b>Date: </b>Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 1:11</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black">PM<br>
<b>To: </b>WSBA Real Property Listserv (<a href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>) <<a href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject: </b>Re: [WSBARP] Title commitment and criminal judgment liens<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:black">I was always under the impression that a title report would disclose any liens or judgments of any kind affecting the property, but what do I know ... But... I wonder if the reason
it’s not showing up is that the criminal judgment was incorporated into a court order rather than separately entered and indexed as a judgment, which could explain why it wasn’t picked up in the title search? Just a thought... <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">
<a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a> <<a href="mailto:wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp-bounces@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>> on behalf of Eric Nelsen <<a href="mailto:eric@sayrelawoffices.com">eric@sayrelawoffices.com</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, October 14, 2026 11:46 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> WSBA Real Property Listserv (<a href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>) <<a href="mailto:wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com">wsbarp@lists.wsbarppt.com</a>><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [WSBARP] Title commitment and criminal judgment liens</span> <o:p>
</o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">I have a client who ordered a preliminary title commitment that doesn’t show any judgment liens. But the client does have a criminal restitution judgment that is in the process of being paid off. The title company apparently
told the client that “certain criminal judgment liens do not appear in a standard title search.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">Huh? Any idea what that would mean? Judgments are judgments, indexed and discoverable in the same way regardless of whether they’re civil or criminal—so far as I know, anyway. Can anybody enlighten me?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">Sincerely,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">Eric<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">Eric C. Nelsen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">Sayre Law Offices, PLLC<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">1417 31st Ave South<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">Seattle WA 98144-3909<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in">206-625-0092<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in"><a href="mailto:eric@sayrelawoffices.com">eric@sayrelawoffices.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal" style="margin:0in"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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