A court order that directs law enforcement personnel to take action in an attempt to satisfy a judgment won by the plaintiff. Specifically, a writ of execution usually addresses a sheriff. The sheriff, in turn, attempts to levy property owned by the defendant.
See Sheriff's sale.
Pam sues Jim for breach of contract. After a quick trial, Pam wins $10,000 in money damages. Pam is overjoyed, but a month goes by and Jim refuses to pay.
Finally, Pam seeks and obtains a writ of execution. In accordance with this writ, a sheriff arrives at Jim's home and looks for property that may be seized to satisfy Pam's judgment.
Some property is seized from Jim's home and is sold at a public auction (i.e., a sheriff's sale). The proceeds, totaling $4,000, are given to Pam in partial satisfaction of the judgment.
The sheriff then sends a garnishment order to Jim's employer. The employer will now deduct a portion of Jim's regular wages and send the money directly to Pam until she gets the rest of the awarded damages.
"[I]t was clear that the expected judgment would give Pennzoil significant rights under Texas law. By recording an abstract of a judgment in the real property records of any of the 254 counties in Texas, a judgment creditor can secure a lien on all of a judgment debtor's real property located in that county. If a judgment creditor wishes to have the judgment enforced by state officials so that it can take possession of any of the debtor's assets, it may secure a writ of execution from the clerk of the court that issued the judgment."
