A prejudgment writ of attachment may be ordered in a legal action where a plaintiff has demonstrated meritorious allegations, fraud in the underlying action, or that defendant may attempt to dispose of or hide assets from the court. In this context, a prejudgment writ of attachment functions much like a temporary restraining order (TRO), which preserves the status quo

Status quo

Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...

 pending a final resolution of the dispute. However, unlike a TRO, a prejudgment writ of attachment provides a source of financial recovery for a plaintiff. Usually, a plaintiff seeking a prejudgment writ of attachment must post a surety bond

Surety bond

A surety bond is a promise to pay one party a certain amount if a second party fails to meet some obligation, such as fulfilling the terms of a contract...

 of up to two times the amount of the damages claimed by the plaintiff.

See Attachment (law)

Attachment (law)

Attachment is a legal process by which a court of law, at the request of a creditor, designates specific property owned by the debtor to be transferred to the creditor, or sold for the benefit of the creditor. A wide variety of legal mechanisms are employed by debtors to prevent the attachment of...

for more on attachment.