The show pays the judgment awarded in the case. That means that as a plaintiff, if you're suing for a large sum of money, and you don't think the defendant has any property for you to go after with your court-ordered judgment, it makes sense to argue your case on TV for a guaranteed payment (and by that I mean the show guarantees to pay whatever is awarded, but there is no guarantee that you will be awarded anything)

I found this VERY interesting! I had no idea that this was the way it went. I used to watch JJ years ago, but got tired of the same old dog bites, landlord, etc cases. Not that they were bad, but I wanted more topics, more cases with different legal aspects I guess.

I first started watching the show when I was recovering from a fractured leg. It was just different then the same shows I would watch.