judgment creditor

A judgment creditor is a party to which a debt is owed that has proved the debt in a legal proceeding and that is entitled to use judicial process to collect the debt.{{cite book |last1=Lehman |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Phelps |first2=Shirelle |title=West's Encyclopedia of American Law, Vol. 6 |date=2005 |publisher=Thomson/Gale |location=Detroit |isbn=9780314201591 |page=46 |edition=2}} A creditor becomes a "judgment creditor" when a judgment is rendered stating that they are entitled to recover a particular debt from a judgment debtor. Following a judgment, a judgment debtor may satisfy the debt voluntarily or the judgment creditor may need to take additional steps to enforce the judgment.