Any authorization in a note executed after June 18, 1972, for the creditor, or other person acting on the creditor’s behalf, to confess judgment for the debtor shall be void and unenforceable.
806.25.No judgment without action.
Ch. 806: Judgment · Last amended 1975 · Last verified July 15, 2026
In one sentenceSection 806.25 voids any clause in a promissory note signed after June 18, 1972, that would let the creditor, or someone acting for the creditor, confess judgment against the debtor without a lawsuit.
Full Text of Section 806.25
Plain-English Summary
Section 806.25 closes off a mechanism that once let creditors obtain judgment against a debtor without a separate court action. Any authorization in a note executed after June 18, 1972, letting the creditor, or another person acting on the creditor’s behalf, confess judgment for the debtor is void and unenforceable.
The section is expressly forward-looking: it reaches notes executed after that specific 1972 date and says nothing about notes signed before it. Within its scope, it does not matter whether the confession-of-judgment authorization runs to the creditor directly or to a third person acting for the creditor; either way, the authorization has no legal force.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a lender put a clause in a loan note letting them get judgment against me without suing?
Not if the note was executed after June 18, 1972. Section 806.25 makes that kind of confession-of-judgment authorization void and unenforceable.
What is a confession-of-judgment clause?
It is an authorization in a note letting the creditor, or someone acting on the creditor’s behalf, obtain judgment against the debtor without a separate lawsuit. Section 806.25 voids that authorization in notes executed after June 18, 1972.
Does this apply to notes signed before June 18, 1972?
The section’s text is limited to notes executed after that date; it does not address notes executed earlier.
Who does this section protect?
The debtor named in the note, by voiding a clause that would let the creditor bypass a judicial action to obtain judgment against them.
Can someone acting on the creditor’s behalf still use a confession-of-judgment clause even if the creditor cannot?
No. Section 806.25 voids the authorization whether it runs to the creditor directly or to another person acting on the creditor’s behalf.
Amendment History
History: 1973 c. 261; Sup. Ct. Order, 67 Wis. 2d 585, 740 (1975); 1975 c. 218.
Source & verification. Section text and official notes are
reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, published by the
Wisconsin Legislature (Legislative Reference Bureau). Last verified July 15, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: wisconsin confession of judgment void806.25 cognovit note wisconsinno judgment without a lawsuit wisconsinconfession of judgment clause unenforceable wisconsin