Judgements-Can they garnish more than your judgement amount?

[Anonymous]

I had a judgement against me about 5 yrs ago for a $35 check that bounced.  The check was turned over to a law firm that handles only collections.  I didn't show up for the court date (I now know I should have) and the judge awarded the $35.  That's what showed on my CR.  They garnished my checks shortly after the judgement and sent me paperwork that said they would be garnishing over $500.  It was paid through garnishment, but now that I'm more credit savvy, I'm wondering if they can legally garnish more than the judgement amount.  Thank you for any info you can give me on judgements.

[Anonymous]

your first step is to go to the courthouse and look at all the paperwork. in my county you can get copies of those documents for .25 per page. look them over and see what the judgement really says. for my judgement, it only showed the amount I was sued for (the balance from the OC) it didn't show the full amount including fees; I got those from my judgment papers.