Rule 70.Judgment for specific acts; vesting title

Some judgments cannot be satisfied with money; they require a party to do something, like sign a deed or hand over documents. Rule 70 addresses what happens when that party refuses. If the deadline passes without compliance, the court can appoint someone else to perform the act at the disobedient party's expense, and once that substitute performance happens, it counts exactly as if the original party had done it. The party entitled to performance can also apply for a writ of attachment or sequestration against the disobedient party's property to compel compliance, and the court can hold that party in contempt in appropriate cases.

For judgments involving Utah real or personal property, the rule offers a more direct shortcut: instead of ordering someone to execute a conveyance, the court can enter a judgment that divests title from one party and vests it in another, and that judgment has the same legal effect as a properly executed deed. No signature from the losing party is needed. When a judgment or order calls for handing over possession of property, the party entitled to it can apply to the clerk for a writ of execution or a writ of assistance to obtain that possession.