garnishment
noun
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Definition of garnishment
Examples of garnishment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other adverse events include a bankruptcy discharge, wage garnishment, tax lien or foreclosure during the five previous years. — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, "Students aren't the only ones crushed by school debt," 11 July 2018 Harvey laid off 40 police and fire department employees a couple weeks after the jail was closed for repairs, blaming the cuts on the state’s garnishment of tax revenues at the request of the city’s underfunded public safety pension funds. — Zak Koeske, Daily Southtown, "Harvey repairs jail ceiling that escapees fell through, but other problems remain, officers say," 15 June 2018 When factoring in the $34 garnishment in February, the amount owed to Eno, with interest, has grown to more than $128,000, Davis said. — Lewis Kamb, The Seattle Times, "Ex-store manager was awarded $120,585 after she was fired by Tully’s, so where’s the money?," 30 May 2018 The bill would allow for garnishment of nongovernment wages or to pull from retirement accounts, if necessary, to pay for settlements. — Natalie Andrews, WSJ, "Senate Passes Overhaul of Sexual-Harassment Policies on Capitol Hill," 24 May 2018 Ten days before the shooting, a garnishment was filed against Jungerman and one day before the shooting, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office served him with property liens to satisfy the judgment against him, according to the lawsuit. — Crimesider Staff, CBS News, "Family of Kansas City attorney shot dead in front yard sues alleged killer," 24 May 2018 But a judgment could mean a wage garnishment still lies ahead. — Russ Wiles, azcentral, "5 important tips for buying a rental property," 20 May 2018 Last week, the Illinois Supreme Court sent a suit Harvey filed against the comptroller over the garnishments back to the circuit court for a preliminary injunction hearing. — Zak Koeske, Daily Southtown, "Harvey police pension fund deal falls apart after firefighters certify their own claim against city," 1 May 2018 Lioi has not ruled on whether to approve the garnishment. — Justin Madden, cleveland.com, "Thousands without power in Summit and Portage counties," 27 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'garnishment.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for garnishment
garnishment
nounFinancial Definition of garnishment
What It Is
Also called wage execution, a garnishment is a process under which money owed or paid to a borrower is given to a creditor instead.
How It Works
Let's say John Doe has stopped paying child support to his ex-wife. His ex-wife takes him to court for the money owed and obtains a garnishment, whereby the court seizes a portion of John's monthly paycheck and automatically gives it to his ex-wife.
One of the most common forms of garnishment is wage garnishment. Wage garnishment is often used to recoup back taxes, delinquent child support or judgments, and the courts have the ability to garnish not just wages, but bonuses, commissions, pension income and distributions from retirement plans. Welfare, unemployment, veterans benefits, social security income, workers compensation and child support payments generally cannot be garnished.
The Consumer Credit Protection Act prohibits employers from firing employees just because their earnings are being garnished, though there are exceptions.
Why It Matters
Garnishments generally require a court order, and they can destroy a person's credit rating. It is important to note that not all things can be garnished; state laws set forth the exemptions. Usually, state laws prohibit garnishing a person's assets to the extent that they leave the borrower with no way to support himself or herself.
Source: Investing Answers
garnishment
noun
\
Legal Definition of garnishment
: a remedial device used by a creditor to have property of the debtor or money owed to the debtor that is in the possession of a third party attached to pay the debt to the creditor specifically : attachment of the debtor's wages to satisfy a judgment — compare wage assignment at assignment
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