Legal Definitions - garnish

Garnishment is a legal process that allows a creditor to take assets from a debtor to pay off a debt. This can include taking money from a bank account or taking a portion of the debtor's wages.

• If someone owes money on a credit card and doesn't pay, the credit card company can file for garnishment to take money from the debtor's bank account.
• If someone owes child support and doesn't pay, the court can order their employer to garnish their wages to pay the child support.

These examples illustrate how garnishment works in practice. In both cases, the creditor or court is able to take money from the debtor to pay off the debt they owe.