Collections – Page 2 – Creditors Rights 101

Employers Who Provide False Garnishment Answers May End Up Owing the Money Themselves

I got a judgment a few months ago, and, having found out where the judgment debtor works, I issued a wage garnishment against the debtor’s wages.

And, oh man, did I ever have that guy. Not only did he work there, but he was listed (and pictured) on their website as an executive. It was only a matter of days until I got my money, right?

Well, not exactly. The employer filed a response that said “Terminated.” That was a surprise. I checked the website. The guy was gone. Did my garnishment get him fired? Strange.

So, out of curiosity, I called the employer and got the company directory. The debtor was still listed. So, I waited a few weeks, and they were still listed. I tried the extension and, within seconds, I had the debtor on the phone.

Long story short, I think this employer is lying. What do you do?

Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-204 requires garnishment responses to be under oath. The law even anticipates that an employer might lie: “The answer of the garnishee is not conclusive.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-205. To that end, Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-206 allows a creditor to get a judgment against the employer if they actually have assets of the debtor in their possession.

So, in the end, a creditor has rights against a dishonest employer, but there are hoops to jump through. Though the statutes don’t lay this out, the procedure would be to subpoena the payroll records or otherwise get testimony from the employer to establish the veracity of the response. Then, the creditor must take the employer back to Court under § 26-2-206 to get a judgment.

It’s a hassle. But, if you lie, employers, I’m happy to take a judgment against you.

You’ve Got the Escalade, Now What? A Reminder of What Slow Pay Motions Can’t Do

With the economy in shambles, I’ve come to learn that, sometimes, people are broke.

When I ask that they pay me $250 a month on a judgment, they turn around and file a “slow pay” motion asking to pay me $20 a month. I talked about Slow Pay Motions (a.k.a. Motion to Pay Judgment by Installments) a few years ago.

Let me revisit one aspect I left out in that earlier post: What exactly does a Slow Pay Motion stop you from doing?

Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-216 does not stay garnishments against real or personal property; it only stays garnishments against wages or salaries due to the debtors:

The filing of such motion by the debtor shall stay the issuance, execution or return of any writ of garnishment against wages or salary due the judgment debtor or any other funds belonging to the judgment debtor …

Tennessee cases support this conclusion: “No such installment payments are to be ordered unless the debtor has filed an affidavit stating that no other assets are available for payment of the judgment except the wages or salary of the debtor and that any other funds receivable by the debtor are so limited that installment payments are appropriate.” Harrington v. Harrington, 759 S.W.2d 664, 668 (Tenn. 1988).

So, let’s say you execute against a Cadillac Escalade (congratulations), and the borrower files a Slow Pay. In that case, the Court may enter a Slow Pay Order and set payments. But, that Order will prevent Wage Garnishments; it will not stop collections on real or personal property.

Computation of Time: How Do You Count “10 Days” for a General Sessions Court Appeal in Tennessee?

Everybody knows that, in Tennessee General Sessions Courts, you have a right to file a de novo appeal in ten days. But, lawyers sometimes scratch their heads on how to count ten days. Is it business days? Is it calendar days?

Tenn. Code Ann. § 27-5-101 provides the Answer:

Any person dissatisfied with the judgment of a recorder or other officer of a municipality charged with the conduct of trials, in a civil action, may, within ten (10) entire days thereafter, Sundays exclusive, appeal to the next term of circuit court.

So, under the statute, you use calendar days but you exclude any intervening Sundays.

Also, see Tenn. Code Ann. § 1-3-102:

The time within which any act provided by law is to be done shall be computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day is a Saturday, a Sunday, or a legal holiday, and then it shall also be excluded.

So, if the tenth day falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday, the deadline rolls forward.

Ok, last question, what’s a “legal holiday” in Tennessee? See Tenn. Code Ann. § 15-1-101:

January 1; the third Monday in January, “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day”; the third Monday in February, known as “Washington Day”; the last Monday in May, known as “Memorial” or “Decoration Day”; July 4; the first Monday in September, known as “Labor Day”; the second Monday in October, known as “Columbus Day”; November 11, known as “Veterans’ Day”; the fourth Thursday in November, known as “Thanksgiving Day”; December 25; and Good Friday; and when any one (1) of these days falls on Sunday, then the following Monday shall be substituted; and when any of these days falls on Saturday, then the preceding Friday shall be substituted; also, all days appointed by the governor or by the president of the United States as days of fasting or thanksgiving, and all days set apart by law for holding county, state, or national elections, throughout this state, are made legal holidays, and the period from twelve o’clock (12:00) noon to twelve o’clock (12:00) midnight of each Saturday which is not a holiday is made a half-holiday, on which holidays and half-holidays all public offices of this state may be closed and business of every character, at the option of the parties in interest of the same, may be suspended.

Tour of Tennessee Courts: Tips for Rutherford County General Sessions

I enjoy hitting the road and going to courts all over middle Tennessee. But, at the same time, it can be disconcerting to go to court in a new county, which generally has its own Local Rules and customs of practice. No matter how long you’ve been practicing, you never want to embarrass yourself in front of a foreign court.

So, I’m starting a “Tour of Tennessee” blog series, which discusses the different Courts that I go to, along with some tips and tricks for appearances.

First stop, Rutherford County General Sessions Court. Here is a link to the General Sessions Court’s website, which has updated, good information about the Court, including phone number, address, and Clerk information.

Note that the Rutherford County Courts, including General Sessions, post a variety of their dockets online. Be sure to print out a copy of the docket before you go to court.

Their Local Rules are also posted online, and read those before you go.

Here are some helpful tips to know from the Local Rules:

The Court presumes cases will be tried on the the date they are set, but, on the first setting in civil actions, the “court may liberally grant a continuance on the first setting of a case.”
The Court does not allow “indefinite” continuances. Under Local Rule 5.01, the Court only allows continuances of less than 60 days.
The Court will only allow 3 continuances, absent good cause.
The Court caps attorney fees at 25%, unless good cause is shown.

Here are a few other things to know:

The Judge, Larry Brandon, is sharp, both in his legal acumen, as well as his wit and the way he runs the Courtroom. Stay on his good side by being early, paying attention, and reading the Local Rules before you go.
Seriously, that’s important: stay on his good side across the board.
Many Clerks are liberal and let you use any old Civil Warrant forms, but, if you’re in doubt about your form, be sure to use the official Civil Warrant forms from the Rutherford County General Sessions Clerk. Using the standard form is an important part of staying on the Judge’s and the Clerk’s good side.
On street parking is plentiful all around the Courthouse, and there are a number free lots available.
General Sessions Court takes place on the third floor of the Courthouse. The General Sessions Clerk is on the first floor.
The security line can get long, particularly if you’re running late. Be prepared to remove watches, belts, and other metal items. Attorneys can purchase “pre-screened” pass cards for $5, which allow you to by-pass security. If you go there a lot, keep that in mind.
The elevator gets backed up, and, if you’re running late, head to the stairs in the back of the building.
Judge Brandon starts promptly, at 9AM.
It’s about a 45 minute drive from downtown Nashville, so give yourself an hour.
Cases are generally called in batches, organized by the Plaintiff’s attorney’s name, meaning all of an attorney’s cases are generally bundled together and called at the same time (and then that attorney is allowed time to go to the hall and review the matters or write them up).

Rutherford County General Sessions Court is an active court, often with a large number of cases (40-50) set on one docket. Be early, be prepared, and read the Local Rules, and your court appearance will go fine.

Confessions of Judgment aren’t Valid in Tennessee: Here’s Why

All kinds of search terms lead visitors to this site. I routinely look at them, because it’s a great insight into what creditor rights issues people want to learn about. (And, sometimes, it’s pretty funny.)

A common query is whether confessions of judgments are valid in Tennessee. Frankly, after nearly 15 years of practice in Tennessee, I’ve never dealt with a confession of judgment, so, as a practical matter, I don’t think they are valid in Tennessee. But, recently, I actually came across the answer.

As background, a confession of judgment is a contract provision (or a stand-alone contract) in which one party agrees on the front-end of a transaction to let the other party enter a judgment against him if the deal goes bad. You agree, in advance and before any default or dispute arises, that the other party can get a judgment, even without a lawsuit pending and despite any legitimate defenses that may ultimately exist.

You can imagine why a creditor would include such a provision in their contracts.

Tennessee doesn’t allow such provisions. Tenn. Code Ann. § 25-2-101(a) says:

Any power of attorney or authority to confess judgment which is given before an action is instituted and before the service of process in such action, is declared void; and any judgment based on such power of attorney or authority is likewise declared void.

But, an agreement to allow a judgment may be allowed after a lawsuit is filed and after the party is served (when, it would be assumed, the party has received due process of the law and the issues are defined). § 25-2-101(b) says:

This section shall not affect any power of attorney or authority given after an action is instituted and after the service of process in such action.

So, even though Confessions of Judgment are not valid in Tennessee at the time of the contract, such provisions will be enforceable after the filing of the lawsuit, such as in a forbearance or settlement agreement.

Last Chance to Learn: Creditors’ Rights in Tennessee: 10 Collection Strategies

A quick reminder: Tomorrow, June 6, 2013, I’ll be teaching the CLE presented by M. Lee Smith Legal Publishers called Creditors’Rights in Tennessee: 10 Collection Strategies.

This is a one hour audio seminar, that will cover the usual Tennessee collections lawyer song and dance. Things like:

Things to consider prior to declaring a loan in default and filing a collections lawsuit
Issues in deciding between Chancery Court and General Sessions Court
Importance of knowing your Statute of Limitations
Making sure you Sue the Right Party
Judgment Liens and why they work
Fraudulent Transfers
Overview of bankruptcy issues, including preferences and Trustee avoidance actions
Common roadblocks to collecting money, including domestication of foreign judgments

It’s one hour of CLE credit, and, hopefully, what I teach you during seminar will put some money in your clients’ pockets.

New Tennessee Legislation Imposes Contempt Sanctions on Judgment Debtors Who Don’t Notify Creditors of New Employment

As a creditor rights attorney, I’m always looking for new developments in the law that gives me any advantage.

Recently, I saw that the Tennessee Legislature is considering a new law that gives creditors an unfair advantage.

I’m talking about Public Chapter 187, on wage garnishments, which would create the new Tenn. Code Ann. § 26-2-225. The statute provides, in part, that:

… A judgment debtor whose salaries, wages or other compensation are subject to a garnishment shall notify the judgment creditor who filed the writ of garnishment within ten (10) days, as computed in § 1-3-102, of obtaining any new employment. Notice to the judgment creditor shall be by certified mail and shall include the name, address and telephone number of the new employer. A judgment debtor who fails to provide notice of new employment in compliance with this section is in contempt of court and, upon the court making a determination of contempt, may be punished the same as contempt of court in a judicial proceeding. …

Under this proposed law, any debtor whose wages are being garnished must notify the creditor within 10 days, via certified mail, of any new employment.

As a creditor’s lawyer, sure, I understand why this law would be helpful: when a debtor switches jobs it can take months for me to figure out where they work. But, I’m surprised that the Legislature would waste this energy to get involved in this collections cat-and-mouse game.

Frankly, even noting my creditor-friendly bias, I think this law goes a little far. An affirmative requirement that the debtor send written notice, via certified mail, seems so onerous that I predict that a General Sessions Court would hesitate to impose h a contempt charge.

This is just a strange law, all around.

What is a Scire Facias (Specifically, What Does it Mean When an Employer gets a Scire Facias on a Judgment against an Employee)?

“Scire Facias” means, on a very general level, “to show cause.” It’s a Writ (known as a “Writ of Scire Facias”) that a judgment creditor can file in various instances. Specifically, a judgment creditor will file a Scire Facias on conditional judgments where the employer has failed to answer wage garnishments.

This happens most often on wage garnishments and bank levies. The procedure is that, once the employer has failed to file an Answer or other response to a Wage Garnishment, the Plaintiff files a Conditional Judgment that grants a “conditional” judgment against the employer for the amount of the Judgment against the Defendant.

It is called “conditional” because the Judgment isn’t final until the Plaintiff prepares and serves on the employer a “Scire Facias” directing the employer to appear and “show cause” (i.e. explain) why they failed to file an answer to the wage garnishment.

There are three general outcomes:

The employer doesn’t appear and the Judgment goes final against the employer;
The employer appears and has no good explanation for the failure, and a judgment (or consensual payment) in some amount is reached (Note: The employee lying to the employer about the status of the debt is not a defense for the employer–the employer has to comply with the response obligations under the law); and
The employer appears and presents some good reason, such as the garnishment was defective, the Defendant was not employed during the relevant timeline, or there was another garnishment.

Regarding item number 3, that’s not always a good and sufficient response, since a garnishee should always answer legal process, but a Court will accept a late answer in that situation, unless there is a showing of collusion or a pattern of failure to respond.

Mark Your Calendars: Tennessee Bar Association to host Creditors Rights 101 Webcast on April 17, 2013

On April 17, 2013, the Tennessee Bar Association has asked me to present a webcast CLE called “Creditor Rights 101: 10 Collection Strategies Every Lawyer Should Know.”

This is part of the TennBarU series, designed to give Tennessee general practitioner attorneys an overview of issues in Tennessee creditor rights. Discussion will include:

• Pre-Lawsuit Considerations
• Statute of Limitations Issues
• Jurisdiction and Venue Selection
• Judgment Enforcement Options
• Basic Bankruptcy Issues
• Common Roadblocks to Collecting Money

And, don’t forget, your Tennessee Bar Association membership gets you 3 hours of free CLE.

Is it Bankruptcy Fraud to Dismiss a Case Where Your Plan is to Incur More Debt and then Refile?

I’ve done collections law too long to think of it in moral terms. I don’t think a person who doesn’t pay his bills is necessarily “bad” (though some are). Sometimes, I think the creditor is equally at fault for lending money or providing services to these poor folks.

But, I recently saw a Bankruptcy pleading that stopped me dead in my tracks.

It was a Motion to Voluntarily Dismiss Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Case, which is a filing a debtor makes to stop his bankruptcy case. People want out of bankruptcy for a number of reasons, but this one took the cake.

In it, the Debtor asked the United States Bankruptcy Court to dismiss his Chapter 7 because he wanted to, basically, wait a few more months to run up some more medical bills. Then, after that, he’d re-file his case and discharge those new debts.

The exact text from the Motion is this:

1. The Debtor filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy on November 6, 2012.

2. The Debtor’s meeting of creditors is set for December 12, 2012.

3. Since the filing of this case, the Debtor has incurred extensive medical care and expects to have a surgery and additional medical care in the coming months.

4. The Debtor, therefore, desires this chapter 7 proceeding be voluntarily dismissed.

Without a doubt, that’s a tough situation for the Debtor, facing medical bills that he can’t pay.

But, what about that doctor or hospital who will be asked to provide those services? This is as close as “pre-meditated” default and bankruptcy as it gets.

The Bankruptcy Code allows a creditor to oppose discharge for some debts that are incurred immediately before Bankruptcy, including those incurred via fraud or bad intent. But, to do that, the creditor has to file a lawsuit to claim that the debt shouldn’t be discharged and that’s a burdensome, costly process.

In case you’re wondering, the Motion was granted.

Long story short, some doctor is going to provide goods and services in the near future that certainly will never be paid. Yikes.