[quote=davelj]Someone knowledgeable about such things told me the following recently:

If you sue someone in small claims court and win (either the judge rules in your favor or the defendant is a no-show), and the defendant doesn’t pay you, then they will not be able to re-register their car in the state of California until the claim is satisfied.

While I love the idea (and HOA’s should be pursuing this against deadbeats who leave upaid dues and foreclosed properties behind), I want further corroboration that this is the case. Anyone know?[/quote]

I can confirm that used to be true for judgements that were the result of traffic incidents. (I had an uninsured driver hit me back in the 80’s and sued for damage to my motorcycle.) I had to file my small claims judgement with the DMV.

However, the DMV wasn’t very good at matching their list against name changes – she changed her name back to her maiden name and voila – she was back in business.