Maryland Oral Examination of Debtor — Not for Small Claims Judgments
You have a Maryland small-claims judgment but no idea where the debtor works, where they bank or what they own. Without that information, you can't file a wage garnishment or bank garnishment — and you can't garnish what you can't find.
Maryland's oral-examination procedure is not available to compel disclosure for a small-claims judgment. The current CC-DC-CV-032 form states that a person may not be compelled to appear in person or answer interrogatories to enforce a money judgment from a small-claims action of $5,000 or less, excluding interest, costs and attorney fees.
Small Claims Judgments Cannot Compel One
The small-claims restriction is separate from the 10-day enforcement stay. A 30-day wait under Rule 3-633 does not make an oral examination available to compel disclosure on a small-claims judgment.
What You Can Do Instead
Do not use CC-DC-CV-032 to compel a debtor's appearance or answers in a small-claims case. For a small-claims judgment, use known bank or employer details to pursue garnishment and use public records to look for real-property or business records.
Asset Details You Can Pursue
The current examination form does not allow a small-claims creditor to compel testimony about employment, bank accounts or property. If you already know the debtor's employer, bank or real property, you can use the corresponding enforcement procedure.
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No Body Attachment for a Small-Claims Examination
Because a small-claims debtor cannot be compelled to appear for this examination, the creditor cannot use a failure to attend a small-claims examination as a basis to seek a body attachment under this procedure.
Public Records Alternatives
You can also search for debtor assets without a court order:
- SDAT (State Department of Assessments and Taxation) — search for business registrations and personal property assessments
- MDLANDREC — the Maryland Judiciary's online land records database, searchable statewide for real property ownership
- Maryland Judiciary Case Search — check for other lawsuits that might reveal the debtor's financial situation
These searches won't give you bank account numbers or employment details, but they can tell you whether the debtor owns real estate or a registered business — both of which are enforceable targets.
For the full asset discovery workflow, examination question lists and enforcement decision trees, see our Maryland Small Claims Judgment Collection Guide.
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