What are Court Bonds?

Court Bonds

Court bonds can be the most confusing kind of bond. Here’s the simplest way to think about them: every court proceeding involves a plaintiff and a defendant, so court bonds divide into Plaintiff’s Bonds and Defendant’s Bonds — each required as protection for the other party.

A plaintiff’s bond, by example

Suppose the plaintiff claims the defendant owes him several thousand dollars. The plaintiff can “attach” something of the defendant’s — say, his car — so that if the court rules for the plaintiff, the car can be sold to pay him. But the court may not rule for the plaintiff, in which case the defendant was deprived of his car for nothing. An attachment bond assures the defendant will be compensated for that loss, at the plaintiff’s expense if necessary.

A defendant’s bond, by example

Suppose a car dealership sold the defendant a car on monthly installments and he stopped paying. The dealership can ask the court for the power to garnish payment straight from his salary. But the court might instead tell the dealership to simply take the car back. The dealership therefore posts a garnishment bond, promising to cover the defendant’s losses from the garnished salary if repossession is the final outcome.

The full menu of judicial bonds

In today’s litigious environment, attorneys and their clients may be required to file bonds anywhere in the country. We provide, locally and nationwide:

Attachment and garnishment bonds · Replevin and counter-replevin bonds · Injunction and dissolve-injunction bonds · Appeal, supersedeas, and stay-of-execution bonds · Release-attachment and discharge-garnishment bonds · Indemnity to sheriff · Receiver’s bonds · Trustee in liquidation and reorganization bonds — alongside the fiduciary family (administrator’s, executor’s, guardian’s, and testamentary trustee’s bonds) covered in our probate guide.

Since 1949, attorneys have depended on our concentrated expertise in judicial bonding — sound underwriting, an expertly staffed claim operation, and bonds accepted by courts nationwide, including sureties approved for federal requirements.

Discuss your court bond at bfbond.net/court/ or call 800.921.1008.