Unsuccessful attachment (forgæves udlæg)
Also known as nothing to attach, empty enforcement case, intet at udlægge, tom fogedsag
An unsuccessful attachment means that the bailiff's court found nothing to levy execution against — the debtor has no assets of value.
In practice
An unsuccessful attachment is not the same as a lost claim. It means that there is nothing to collect right now.
The consequence is a blocking period: for the next six months, the bailiff’s court can refuse to hear a new case against the same debtor. That is why timing matters — go to the bailiff’s court too early and you have fired your shot and have to wait half a year.
The claim lives on. If you have a judgment, it lives for ten years. The right next step is not to write it off, but to monitor: if a new employer, a car or a company turns up, the case starts again.
Where it commonly goes wrong
- The claim is written off. An unsuccessful attachment is a status, not a conclusion.
- You go to the bailiff’s court without knowing whether there is anything to go after. Then you burn the blocking period on nothing.