Also known as:execution sales · sheriff's sale · judicial sale
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A public sale of a debtor's property conducted under a writ of execution to satisfy a judgment. The sheriff or other officer seizes the property and sells it, applying the proceeds to the creditor's claim.
Sources & Authorities· 4 primary sources
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Cases
Statutes
Uniform Acts
Restatements
How it applies
Common Examples
3
Judgment Creditor Levies Execution
Eugene Ellsworth obtains a money judgment against Elliot Edmonds. The sheriff seizes Elliot's vacant parcel under a writ of execution and conducts an execution sale. Proceeds are applied to Eugene's judgment and any surplus is returned to Elliot.
Life Tenant Conveys Interest
Ezra Eastman holds a life estate in Blackacre with a power of appointment over the remainder. A judgment creditor levies execution against Ezra. Eastern Electric purchases the property at the execution sale. Ezra's later attempt to appoint the property fails against the purchaser.
Emmett Egan defaults on a mortgage held by Eclipse Manufacturing during an economic crisis. State law temporarily halts execution sales to prevent widespread foreclosures. The lender challenges the moratorium as an unconstitutional impairment of its contract rights.
Home Building & Loan Association v. Blaisdell290 U.S. 398, 54 S.Ct. 231, 78 L.Ed. 413 (1934)
Common questions
Frequently Asked
3
Is a purchaser at an execution sale protected by the recording act?+
Yes. An execution purchaser who pays value and lacks notice of an unrecorded prior deed qualifies as a bona fide purchaser and prevails over the prior grantee.
Supporting sources
What commission does the marshal collect on an execution sale?+
The marshal collects three percent on the first one thousand dollars and one and one-half percent on the excess, subject to adjustment by the Attorney General.
Does a power of appointment survive an execution sale of the donee's interest?+
No. The purchaser at the execution sale takes the donee's interest free of the power, which becomes ineffective as to that share.
262 So. 2d 641Property
…section 53 (2d ed. 1966), states: By the weight of authority, it is held that a court of equity has the power to order a judicial sale of land affected with a future interest and an investment of the proceeds, where this is necessary for the preservation of all interests in the land. When the power is exercised, the…