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Glite Dictionary
confession of judgment

confession of judgment

9.9
A written agreement where a person who owes money admits debt and a court can order payment without a trial
  • noun
  • /kənˈfɛʃən əv ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/
  • Formal
translation icon : confesión de juicio
  • In his confession of judgment, he admitted liability for the damages caused to the plaintiff.

Examples

  • The debtor signed a confession of judgment to settle the outstanding debt without going to trial.

  • A cognovit note allows the contracting parties to preclude factfinding by agreeing to confession of judgment.

    Academic text (2007)

  • A confession of judgment can expedite the legal process by allowing the court to rule based on the debtor's admission.

Synonyms

cognovit judgment
vsconfession of judgment
  • Archaic
9.9

A court decision after a person signs a paper saying they owe money

is the plain descriptive phrase for the same court entry rather than the specialist term

Surface Forms

confession of judgment singular
confessions of judgment plural

Morphology

confession + of + judgment

The phrase directly combines 'confession' (an admission) with 'judgment' (a court decision), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a court decision entered on the basis of an admission. Although it is a specific legal procedure, the compositional relation is literal and predictable, making it readily understandable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Confession of judgment comes from a simple, literal idea: the person who owes money writes a confession, a 'written admission of debt', so the lender can get a judgment from the court without a normal trial. So, it means a written agreement that lets a creditor obtain a court decision against a debtor without a full court case.