You personally are not responsible for the judgment against your wife before you married her. The problem is that in many states in this country, one-half of the marital or community property estate may be responsible for the judgment of the spouse incurred before marriage.The reason why the joint checking account was levied upon was because it was a joint account with you and your wife. I suggest that you consult with a debt collection attorney about making a claim of exemption as soon as possible as to a portion of the joint checking account. You also need to ascertain if the judgment against your wife was ever renewed. If not, the judgment could be barred from being collected upon.