West's Smith-hurd Illinois Compiled Statutes Annotated
Chapter 735. Civil Procedure
Act 5. Code of Civil Procedure
Article XII. Judgments--Enforcement
Part 7. Garnishment
5/12-701. Affidavit for garnishment; Contents
§ 12-701. Affidavit for garnishment; Contents. Upon the filing by a judgment creditor, its attorney or other designee of
(1) an affidavit that the affiant believes any person is indebted to the judgment debtor, other than for wages, or has in his or her possession, custody or control any other property belonging to the judgment debtor, or in which the judgment debtor has an interest, which person shall be identified as the garnishee, and includes the last address of the judgment debtor known to the affiant as well as the name of the judgment debtor,
(2) the garnishment notice required by Section 12-705, and
(3) written interrogatories to be answered by the garnishee with respect to the indebtedness or other property, the clerk of the court in which the judgment was entered shall issue summons against the person named in the affidavit commanding him or her to appear in the court as garnishee and answer the interrogatories in writing under oath. The interrogatories shall require that the garnishee certify that a copy of the completed interrogatories, as specified in subsection (b) of Section 12-707, has been mailed to the judgment debtor and shall be in a form consistent with local court rules.
5/12-705. Summons
§ 12-705. Summons.
(a) Summons shall be returnable not less than 21 nor more than 30 days after the date of issuance. Summons with 4 copies of the interrogatories shall be served and returned as in other civil cases. If the garnishee is served with summons less than 10 days prior to the return date, the court shall continue the case to a new return date 14 days after the return date stated on the summons. The summons shall be in a form consistent with local court rules. The summons shall be accompanied by a copy of the underlying judgment or a certification by the clerk of the court that entered the judgment, or by the attorney for the judgment creditor, setting forth the amount of the judgment, the name of the court and the number of the case and one copy of a garnishment notice in substantially the following form:
"GARNISHMENT NOTICE
(Name and address of Court)
Name of Case: (Name of Judgment Creditor),
Judgment Creditor v.
(Name of Judgment Debtor),
Judgment Debtor.
Address of Judgment Debtor: (Insert last known address)
Name and address of Attorney for Judgment
Creditor or of Judgment Creditor (If no
attorney is listed): (Insert name and address)
Amount of Judgment: $(Insert amount)
Name of Garnishee: (Insert name)
Return Date: (Insert return date specified in summons)
NOTICE: The court has issued a garnishment summons against the garnishee named above for money or property (other than wages) belonging to the judgment debtor or in which the judgment debtor has an interest. The garnishment summons was issued on the basis of a judgment against the judgment debtor in favor of the judgment creditor in the amount stated above.
The amount of money or property (other than wages) that may be garnished is limited by federal and Illinois law. The judgment debtor has the right to assert statutory exemptions against certain money or property of the judgment debtor which may not be used to satisfy the judgment in the amount stated above.
Under Illinois or federal law, the exemptions of personal property owned by the debtor include the debtor's equity interest, not to exceed $2,000 in value, in any personal property as chosen by the debtor; Social Security and SSI benefits; public assistance benefits; unemployment compensation benefits; workers' compensation benefits; veterans' benefits; circuit breaker property tax relief benefits; the debtor's equity interest, not to exceed $1,200 in value, in any one motor vehicle, and the debtor's equity interest, not to exceed $750 in value, in any implements, professional books or tools of the trade of the debtor.
The judgment debtor may have other possible exemptions from garnishment under the law.
The judgment debtor has the right to request a hearing before the court to dispute the garnishment or to declare exempt from garnishment certain money or property or both. To obtain a hearing in counties with a population of 1,000,000 or more, the judgment debtor must notify the Clerk of the Court in person and in writing at (insert address of Clerk) before the return date specified above or appear in court on the date and time on that return date. To obtain a hearing in counties with a population of less than 1,000,000, the judgment debtor must notify the Clerk of the Court in writing at (insert address of Clerk) on or before the return date specified above. The Clerk of the Court will provide a hearing date and the necessary forms that must be prepared by the judgment debtor or the attorney for the judgment debtor and sent to the judgment creditor and the garnishee regarding the time and location of the hearing. This notice may be sent by regular first class mail."
(b) An officer or other person authorized by law to serve process shall serve the summons, interrogatories and the garnishment notice required by subsection (a) of this Section upon the garnishee and shall, (1) within 2 business days of the service upon the garnishee, mail a copy of the garnishment notice and the summons to the judgment debtor by first class mail at the judgment debtor's address indicated in the garnishment notice and (2) within 4 business days of the service upon the garnishee file with the clerk of the court a certificate of mailing in substantially the following form:
"CERTIFICATE OF MAILING
I hereby certify that, within 2 business days of service upon the garnishee of the garnishment summons, interrogatories and garnishment notice, I served upon the judgment debtor in this cause a copy of the garnishment summons and garnishment notice by first class mail to the judgment debtor's address as indicated in the garnishment notice.
Date:.................... ..............................
Signature"
In the case of service of the summons for garnishment upon the garnishee by certified or registered mail, as provided in subsection (c) of this Section, no sooner than 2 business days nor later than 4 business days after the date of mailing, the clerk shall mail a copy of the garnishment notice and the summons to the judgment debtor by first class mail at the judgment debtor's address indicated in the garnishment notice, shall prepare the Certificate of Mailing described by this subsection, and shall include the Certificate of Mailing in a permanent record.
(c) In a county with a population of less than 1,000,000, unless otherwise provided by circuit court rule, at the request of the judgment creditor or his or her attorney and instead of personal service, service of a summons for garnishment may be made as follows:
(1) For each garnishee to be served, the judgment creditor or his or her attorney shall pay to the clerk of the court a fee of $2, plus the cost of mailing, and furnish to the clerk an original and 2 copies of a summons, an original and one copy of the interrogatories, an affidavit setting forth the garnishee's mailing address, an original and 2 copies of the garnishment notice required by subsection (a) of this Section, and a copy of the judgment or certification described in subsection (a) of this Section. The original judgment shall be retained by the clerk.
(2) The clerk shall mail to the garnishee, at the address appearing in the affidavit, the copy of the judgment or certification described in subsection (a) of this Section, the summons, the interrogatories, and the garnishment notice required by subsection (a) of this Section, by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, showing to whom delivered and the date and address of delivery. This Mailing shall be mailed on a "restricted delivery" basis when service is directed to a natural person. The envelope and return receipt shall bear the return address of the clerk, and the return receipt shall be stamped with the docket number of the case. The receipt for certified or registered mail shall state the name and address of the addressee, the date of the mailing, shall identify the documents mailed, and shall be attached to the original summons.
(3) The return receipt must be attached to the original summons and, if it shows delivery at least 10 days before the day for the return date, shall constitute proof of service of any documents identified on the return receipt as having been mailed.
(4) The clerk shall note the fact of service in a permanent record.
5/12-707. Duties of garnishee
§ 12-707. Duties of garnishee.
(a) To the extent of the amount due upon the judgment and costs, the garnishee shall hold, subject to the order of the court any non-exempt indebtedness or other non-exempt property in his or her possession, custody or control belonging to the judgment debtor or in which the judgment debtor has any interest. The judgment or balance due thereon becomes a lien on the indebtedness and other property held by the garnishee at the time of the service of garnishment summons and remains a lien thereon pending the garnishment proceeding.
(b) The garnishee shall file, on or before the return date, or within the further time that the court for cause may allow, a written answer under oath to the interrogatories, setting forth as of the date of service of the garnishment summons any indebtedness due or to become due to the judgment debtor and any other property in his, her or its possession, custody or control belonging to the judgment debtor or in which the judgment debtor has an interest. The garnishee shall mail, by first class mail, a copy of the answer to the judgment creditor or its attorney and to the judgment debtor at the address specified in the affidavit filed under Section 12-701 of this Act, or at any other address or location of the judgment debtor known to the garnishee, and shall certify in the answer that it was so mailed to the judgment debtor.
5/12-710. Adverse claims; Trial
§ 12-710. Adverse claims; Trial.
(a) In the event any indebtedness or other property due from or in the possession of a garnishee is claimed by any other person, the court shall permit the claimant to appear and maintain his or her claim. A claimant not voluntarily appearing shall be served with notice as the court shall direct. If a claimant fails to appear after being served with notice in the manner directed, he or she shall be concluded by the judgment entered in the garnishment proceeding.
(b) If the adverse claimant appears and, within the time the court allows, files his or her claim and serves a copy thereof upon the judgment creditor, the judgment debtor, and the garnishee, he or she is then a party to the garnishment proceeding; and his or her claim shall be tried and determined with the other issues in the garnishment action. Upon certification by the Illinois Department of Public Aid that a person who is receiving support payments under this Section is a public aid recipient, any support payments subsequently received by the clerk of the court shall be transmitted to the Illinois Department of Public Aid until the Department gives notice to cease such transmittal. If the adverse claimant is entitled to all or part of the indebtedness or other property, the court shall enter judgment in accordance with the interests of the parties.
(c) Claims for the support of a spouse or dependent children shall be superior to all other claims for garnishment of property.