Judicial Foreclosure Definition

A foreclosure in which the foreclosing party files a lawsuit in the county where the real estate is located, seeking a court judgment allowing the property to be sold at a foreclosure sale because the owner has defaulted on mortgage payments. A few states use what are called strict foreclosures, which let the judge order ownership of the property transferred to the foreclosing party without a sale. Judicial foreclosures commonly take much longer than nonjudicial ones. Compare: nonjudicial foreclosure