Kentucky Judgment Debtor Examination

You have a judgment. You know the debtor has not paid. But you do not know where they work, which bank they use, or whether they own property. Without that information, garnishment and execution orders have no target.

Kentucky gives judgment creditors two formal tools to discover debtor assets, plus a set of public record sources that require no court involvement.

Post-Judgment Interrogatories

The primary discovery tool under Civil Rule 69.02 is written post-judgment interrogatories. You draft and serve written questions on the debtor requiring disclosure — under oath — of:

• Current and recent employers, with addresses
• Bank and credit union accounts, with institution names and account numbers
• Real property owned, in any Kentucky county
• Motor vehicles, with VINs and registration details
• Other income sources (rental income, self-employment, benefits)

The debtor has 30 calendar days from receipt to complete, sign under oath, and return the answers.

This is usually the first step after the 10-day appeal window expires and voluntary payment fails. It costs nothing beyond the cost of mailing, and the answers — when you get them — give you specific targets for garnishment.

When the Debtor Ignores Interrogatories

If the debtor does not answer within 30 days, you file Form AOC-198 (Small Claims Post-Judgment Motion to Require Losing Party to Answer Interrogatories). The Circuit Court Clerk schedules a hearing and issues an order compelling the debtor to appear and show cause why they should not be held in contempt or ordered to answer immediately.

Service of Form AOC-198 goes out by first-class mail or personal hand delivery under Civil Rule 5. The contempt threat gives this real teeth — a debtor who ignores written interrogatories may take a court summons more seriously.

Formal Debtor Examination

Beyond written interrogatories, Civil Rule 69.02 allows a formal debtor examination where the debtor is subpoenaed to appear in court and testify under oath about their assets. The judge or court commissioner asks the questions directly, and the debtor must answer.

You can also issue third-party subpoenas duces tecum — directing banks or businesses to produce asset documentation — with court approval and payment of applicable fees.

If the debtor fails to appear for a scheduled examination, the court can issue a bench warrant. This is the strongest compulsion mechanism available for asset discovery in a small claims case.

Public Record Sources

Before or alongside formal discovery, several public record searches can reveal assets without any court filing:

• County Clerk deed books and mortgage indexes: show real property ownership and existing encumbrances in the debtor's county
• County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA): public tax assessment data, property boundaries, and transfer records
• Kentucky Secretary of State: online business entity searches revealing active businesses, registered agents, and workplace addresses

These are free and immediate. If the debtor owns real property, that information feeds directly into a judgment lien filing under KRS 426.720. If the search reveals an employer, that gives you a target for wage garnishment through Form AOC-150.

Putting Discovery to Work

Asset discovery is the step most judgment creditors skip or underestimate. The enforcement tools in Kentucky — garnishment, execution, liens — all require knowing what to target. Spending a few hours on interrogatories and public records before filing garnishment paperwork prevents wasted service fees on orders that come back empty.

The Kentucky Small Claims Judgment Collection Guide includes a complete asset discovery checklist and a ready-to-use interrogatory framework covering every asset category Kentucky courts expect.

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