Supreme Court of Missouri
en banc

• 90.01 Definitions

• In this Rule 90:

• (a) A "garnishor" is a judgment creditor;

• (b) A "debtor" is a judgment debtor;

• (c) A "garnishee" is the person summoned as garnishee in the writ of garnishment or levy;

• (d) "Property subject to garnishment" is all goods, personal property, money, credits, bonds, bills, notes, checks, choses in action, or other effects of debtor and all debts owed to debtor. "Property subject to garnishment" does not include funds of the debtor on deposit with a bank or other financial institution in an account in which all funds are:

• (1) Deposited electronically on a recurring basis, and

• (2) Reasonably identified as funds exempt from garnishment pursuant to section 513.430.1(10)(a), (b), or (c), RSMo;

• (e) "Continuous wage garnishment" is the garnishment of earnings, as defined in section 525.030, RSMo, that does not have a return date and instead remains in effect until the judgment is paid in full or until the employment relationship is terminated, whichever occurs first.

90.02  Request for Issuance of Writ of Garnishment
 
    The clerk of the court that entered the judgment shall issue a writ of garnishment if the garnishor files a written request stating:
 

(a) That a judgment has been entered against the debtor and remains unsatisfied;
 
(b) The amount of the judgment and the amount remaining unpaid;
 
(c) That the garnishor knows or has good reason to believe that the garnishee is indebted to debtor, that the garnishee is obligated to make periodic payments to debtor, or that the garnishee has control or custody of property belonging to debtor; and
 
(d) The requested return date of the writ, which shall be either 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, or 180 days after the filing of the request for the writ or, alternatively, that a continuous wage garnishment is requested.

 
     If a garnishor so requests, the clerk shall issue a writ of garnishment and summons when an attachment or execution is issued.


90.04  Effect of Service of Writ of Garnishment and Summons - Priority

      The service of the writ of garnishment and summons attaches the property subject to garnishment in the garnishee's possession or charge or under the garnishee's control at the time the writ of garnishment and summons is served and continuing through the return date of the writ or, in the case of a continuous wage garnishment, until the judgment is paid in full or until the employment relationship is terminated, whichever occurs first. Writs of garnishment that would otherwise have equal priority shall have priority according to the date of service on the garnishee. If the employee's wages have been attached by more than one writ of garnishment, the employer shall inform the inferior garnishor of the existence and case number of all senior garnishments.


90.07  Interrogatories to Garnishee - Answers to Interrogatories - Exceptions - Response

(a) Interrogatories – Time for Filing Service.  Prior to the issuance of the summons and writ of garnishment the garnishor shall file written interrogatories asking the garnishee to:
 

(1) List and describe the property subject to garnishment in the possession, charge or control of the garnishee;
 
(2) State the name and last known address of any person, other than debtor, whom the garnishee knows claims or may claim an interest in or to the property subject to garnishment;
 
(3) If the garnishee is a bank or other financial institution, state whether at the time the writ of garnishment was served or at any subsequent time did the debtor have funds on deposit in an account in which all funds are:
 

(A) Deposited electronically on a recurring basis, and
 
(B) Reasonably identified as being funds on deposit that are exempt from garnishment pursuant to section 513.430.1(10)(a), (b), or (c), RSMo; and, if so, identify each account, state the reason for the believed exemption, and identify the entity electronically depositing those funds;
 
(4) Identify the existence and case number of all senior garnishments and inform the garnishor upon the release, satisfaction, or termination of a senior garnishment.

 
The interrogatories shall be served simultaneously with the summons and writ of garnishment.  
 
(b) Answer to Interrogatories – Time for Filing. The garnishee shall file and serve verified answers to the interrogatories on the garnishor during the ten days immediately after the return date of the writ or, in the case of a continuous wage garnishment, within 20 days from the date on which the garnishee is served with the writ.  
 
(c) Exceptions to Answers to Interrogatories - Time for Filing. The garnishor shall file any exceptions to the interrogatory answers asserting any objections to the answers and asserting all grounds upon which recovery is sought against the garnishee.
 

 
(1)  The exceptions shall be filed within the later of:
 
 
(A) 20 days after service of the answers, or
 
(B) 20 days after the return date of the writ.
 
 
(2)  In the case of a continuous wage garnishment, the exceptions shall be filed no later than 20 days after service of the answers.
 

 
      The garnishee's answers to interrogatories are conclusively binding against the garnishor if the garnishor does not timely file exceptions to the interrogatory answers.
 
(d) Response to Exceptions - Time for Filing. Within 20 days after service of the exceptions, the garnishee may file a response thereto.


90.10  Discharge of Garnishee - Judgment in Garnishment

      (a) If the garnishee admits in its answers to interrogatories that any property subject to garnishment is in the garnishee's possession, the garnishee, without further order of the court, shall pay or deliver such property into court or to the attorney for the party on whose behalf the order of garnishment was issued no later than ten days after the return date of the writ of garnishment or levy. Timely payment or delivery of such property into court thereby discharges the garnishee from further liability on account of the property subject to garnishment so paid or delivered.
 
      (b) If the garnishor files exceptions to the garnishee's answers to interrogatories or if a third party has intervened as provided by Rule 90.09, the court or jury shall determine all controverted issues raised by garnishor's exceptions to the garnishee's answers to interrogatories, the garnishee's response thereto, and any claim asserted by a third party who has intervened. The court shall enter judgment in accordance with the findings of the court or jury and shall order that any property not previously delivered to the officer or the court be delivered to the officer or paid into court or to the attorney for the party on whose behalf the order of garnishment was issued within such time as the court shall direct. If the property is not delivered to the officer or paid into court or to the attorney for the party on whose behalf the order of garnishment was issued within such time, the court may enter judgment against the garnishee for the value of the property.


90.11  Disbursement
 
      When a trial of issues under Rule 90.10(b) is not required, property paid or delivered into court or to the attorney for the party on whose behalf the order of garnishment was issued under Rule 90.10(a) shall be disbursed to the garnishor, less costs, within ten days and without order of the court if the garnishee has not requested an allowance under Rule 90.12(a). If the garnishee has requested an allowance under Rule 90.12(a), the property paid or delivered into the court or to the attorney for the party on whose behalf the order of garnishment was issued, less costs and allowances, shall be disbursed to the garnishor within ten days after the court has determined the allowance to be awarded the garnishee.
 
      Property paid or delivered into court, or to the attorney for the party on whose behalf the order of garnishment was issued, shall not be disbursed without order of the court when a trial is required by Rule 90.10(b).


90.12  Costs and Allowances 
 
      (a) Allowance to Garnishee if Interrogatory Answers are Not Excepted to or Denied. If by interrogatory answers, not excepted to or denied, it appears that the garnishee has property subject to garnishment, the court, upon motion by the garnishee, shall allow the garnishee a one-time sum not to exceed $20, or the fee previously agreed upon between the garnishee and the judgment debtor if the garnishee is a financial institution, for the trouble and expense of answering, and withholding the funds, to be paid out of the property subject to garnishment. The garnishee may file a motion for additional costs, including attorney fees reasonably incurred in answering the interrogatories, in which case the court may make such award as it deems reasonable. The motion shall be filed on or before the date the garnishee makes payment or delivers the property subject to garnishment into court.  
 
90.15  Garnishment of Wages - Notice of Wage Exemption Statute Required

      No notice, summons, or writ of garnishment issued or served under sections 525.010 to 525.310, RSMo, shall attach or purport to attach any wages in excess of the amounts prescribed in subsection 2 of section 525.030, and each such notice, summons, or writ shall have clearly and legibly reproduced thereon the provisions of subsections 2, 5 and 6 of section 525.030.


90.16  Compensation of State and Municipal Employees Subject to Writ of GARNISHMENT

(a) The state, municipal, or other political subdivision employer served with a garnishment shall have the same duties and obligations as those imposed upon a private employer when served with a garnishment.
 
(b) Pay of any officer, appointee, or employee of the state of Missouri, or any municipal corporation or other political subdivision of the state, shall be subject to garnishment to the same extent as in any other garnishment. All garnishments against such employee shall proceed in the same manner as any other garnishment.
 
(c) Service of legal process to which a department, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of the state is subject under this Rule 90.16 may be accomplished by personal service upon the paying, disbursing, or auditing officer of the state, municipal corporation, or other political subdivision of the state, charged with the duty of payment or audit of such salary, wages, fees or earnings of such employees.


90.19  Reporting Judgment Balance - Payment on the Record

(a) A judgment creditor may, prior to the expiration of a judgment, file a statement of judgment balance with the court, and any payment referenced in the statement shall be deemed a payment on the record for the purposes of section 516.350, RSMo. Copies of the statement shall be served by ordinary mail on the judgment debtor. A statement filed pursuant to this Rule 90.19(a) shall renew the six month filing requirement of Rule 90.19(b), if applicable.  
 
(b) In the case of a continuous wage garnishment or in any case in which the garnishor has elected to have payments made directly to its attorney pursuant to Rule 90.10(b), the garnishor shall file with the issuing court a statement of judgment balance, which shall indicate all payments received by the garnishor within the preceding six months and the remaining unsatisfied portions of the judgment, which may include all unsatisfied post-judgment interest and costs. The statement shall be filed not later than 15 days after the close of each such six-month period. The statement shall be filed with the issuing court beginning six months after issuance of the garnishment and shall continue every six months thereafter until the garnishment is satisfied or no longer effective. Copies of the statement shall be served by ordinary mail on the garnishee and judgment debtor. In the case of garnishment other than a continuous wage garnishment in which the garnishor has elected to have payments made directly to its attorney pursuant to Rule 90.10(b), a statement of judgment balance need not be filed if the garnishor files a new garnishment in the same case and against the same defendant prior to the date the statement would have been required to be filed with the issuing court.
 
(c) In the event a garnishor fails to file a statement of judgment balance as provided in Rule 90.19(b), the court shall, upon its own motion or that of any party or junior garnishor, terminate the garnishment.  
 
(d) Any party may file with the issuing court a motion for accounting of judgment balance up to 30 days after satisfaction of the judgment.