Equitable lien

A lien is a legal right that allows a person or an organization (called a "lien holder") to take somebody else's property if they don't repay a debt they owe. An equitable lien is when a court decides to give the lien holder the right to take the property, but not necessarily to own it. Say, for example, someone borrowed money from someone and didn't pay it back. The lien holder would be able to take the borrower's property, but instead of keeping it, the property would be sold and the money from the sale kept until the debt was paid off.