Fieri facias

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Fieri facias, usually abbreviated fi. fa. (Lat. that you cause to be made), in English law, a writ of execution after judgment obtained in action of debt or damages. It is addressed to the sheriff, and commands him to make good the amount out of the goods of the person against whom judgment has been obtained.

This writ was once so common that Fieri Facias became a slang term for a sheriff, with a pun on the "fiery [ruddy] face" of habitual drunkenness, or for anyone with a ruddy complexion.

Typically, a judgment creditor will record a fi. fa. with the land records of the locality in which the debtor is believed to own real property. Even though the sheriff may not actually foreclose on the property, the recorded fi. fa. will act as an encumberance on the title of the property, which can prevent the property from being sold or refinanced without satisfying the related judgment.

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