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cognovit judgment

cognovit judgment

9.9
A court decision after a person signs a paper saying they owe money
  • noun
  • /kɒɡˈnoʊvɪt ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/
  • Archaic
translation icon : sentencia de cognovit
  • The creditor obtained a cognovit judgment after the debtor signed a written confession of debt.

Examples

  • By signing a cognovit judgment, the defendant allowed the court to enter judgment without further litigation.

  • A cognovit judgment can expedite debt collection for the creditor.

  • The court issued a cognovit judgment against the debtor.

  • Did you understand the implications of a cognovit judgment?

  • A cognovit judgment allows a lender to collect debts quickly since it does not require a trial.

  • The judge entered a cognovit judgment after confirming that the debtor had admitted to the debt in writing.

  • When the debtor signed the cognovit judgment, it meant they accepted the court's decision without contesting it.

Synonyms

confession of judgment
vscognovit judgment
  • Formal
9.9

A written agreement where a person who owes money admits debt and a court can order payment without a trial

has identical meaning but uses a different legal term for the same judgment

Surface Forms

Morphology

cognovit + judgment

The noun 'cognovit' in the input is defined as a statement allowing judgment without trial and 'judgment' denotes a court decision, so a learner who knows both constituents can compose the meaning: a court judgment based on a cognovit (i.e., entered without ordinary trial). Although the term is legal and low-frequency, its meaning follows directly from the constituent meanings and is therefore predictable to someone who knows those words.

Etymology

Cognovit judgment comes from old Latin: cognovit means 'he admitted' and judgment means a court decision. If someone who owed money signed a paper saying they 'admitted' the debt, the court could give a decision without a trial, so the term now means a judgment based on the debtor's written confession.