How do you know when a judgment is real?

Judgments are issued by the courts, are public record, and if you are a party to such action would receive notice and copies of any court action and filing. If you have avoided process of service or appearance in the lawsuit, it does not protect you from judgment, it actually makes it easy and faster for the plaintiff to win. There are two ways to check the status of any judgments upon you; (1) visit your local clerk of court and ask for a copy of the lawsuit, or (2) get a copy of your credit report, as judgments will appear under the "public notices" section.