Effective: August 29, 2000
Latest Legislation: House Bill 294 - 123rd General Assembly
(A) The notice to the judgment debtor that must be served on the garnishee and delivered to the judgment debtor shall be in substantially the following form:
"(Name and Address of the Court)
(Case Caption) Case No. _______
NOTICE TO THE JUDGMENT DEBTOR
You are hereby notified that this court has issued an order in the above case in favor of (name and address of judgment creditor), the judgment creditor in this proceeding, directing that some of your personal earnings be used in satisfaction of your debt to the judgment creditor instead of being paid to you. This order was issued on the basis of the judgment creditor's judgment against you that was obtained in (name of court) in (case number) on (date).
The law of Ohio provides that you are entitled to keep a certain amount of your personal earnings free from the claims of creditors. Additionally, wages under a certain amount may never be used to satisfy the claims of creditors. The documents entitled "ORDER AND NOTICE OF GARNISHMENT AND ANSWER OF EMPLOYER" that are enclosed with this notice show how the amount proposed to be taken out of your personal earnings was calculated by your employer.
If you dispute the judgment creditor's right to garnish your personal earnings and believe that you are entitled to possession of the personal earnings because they are exempt or if you feel that this order is improper for any other reason, you may request a hearing before this court by disputing the claim in the request for hearing form, appearing below, or in a substantially similar form, and delivering the request for hearing to this court at the above address, at the office of the clerk of this court, no later than the end of the fifth business day after you receive this notice. You may state your reasons for disputing the judgment creditor's right to garnish your personal earnings in the space provided on the form; however, you are not required to do so. If you do state your reasons for disputing the judgment creditor's right, you are not prohibited from stating any other reason at the hearing. If you do not state your reasons, it will not be held against you by the court, and you can state your reasons at the hearing. NO OBJECTIONS TO THE JUDGMENT ITSELF WILL BE HEARD OR CONSIDERED AT THE HEARING. The hearing will be limited to a consideration of the amount of your personal earnings, if any, that can be used in satisfaction of the judgment you owe to the judgment creditor.
If you request a hearing by delivering your request for hearing no later than the end of the fifth business day after you receive this notice, it will be conducted no later than twelve days after your request is received by the court, and the court will send you notice of the date, time, and place. You may indicate in the form that you believe that the need for the hearing is an emergency and that it should be given priority by the court. If you do so, the court will schedule the hearing as soon as practicable after your request is received and will send you notice of the date, time, and place. If you do not request a hearing by delivering your request for hearing no later than the end of the fifth business day after you receive this notice, some of your personal earnings will be paid to the judgment creditor.
If you have any questions concerning this matter, you may contact the office of the clerk of this court. If you want legal representation, you should contact your lawyer immediately. If you need the name of a lawyer, contact the local bar association.
_____________________________ Clerk of the Court
_____________________________ Date"
(B) The request for hearing form that must be served on the garnishee and delivered to the judgment debtor shall have attached to it a postage-paid, self-addressed envelope or shall be on a postage-paid, self-addressed postcard, and shall be in substantially the following form:
"(Name and Address of Court)
Case Number __________ Date __________
REQUEST FOR HEARING
I dispute the judgment creditor's right to garnish my personal earnings in the above case and request that a hearing in this matter be held no later than twelve days after delivery of this request to the court.
I ________________________ feel that the need for the
(insert "do" or "do not")
hearing is an emergency.
I dispute the judgment creditor's right to garnish my personal earnings for the following reasons:
____________________________________________________
(Optional)
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
I UNDERSTAND THAT NO OBJECTIONS TO THE JUDGMENT ITSELF WILL BE CONSIDERED AT THE HEARING.
_____________________________ (Name of Judgment Debtor)
_____________________________ (Signature)
_____________________________ (Date)
WARNING: IF YOU DO NOT DELIVER THIS REQUEST FOR HEARING OR A REQUEST IN A SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR FORM TO THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF THIS COURT WITHIN FIVE (5) BUSINESS DAYS OF YOUR RECEIPT OF IT, YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO A HEARING, AND SOME OF YOUR PERSONAL EARNINGS WILL BE PAID TO (JUDGMENT CREDITOR'S NAME) IN SATISFACTION OF YOUR DEBT TO THE JUDGMENT CREDITOR."
(C) The judgment debtor may receive a hearing in accordance with this division by delivering a written request for a hearing to the clerk of the court within five business days after receipt of the notice provided pursuant to division (A) of this section. The request may set forth the judgment debtor's reasons for disputing the judgment creditor's right to garnish the personal earnings; however, neither the judgment debtor's inclusion of nor the judgment debtor's failure to include those reasons upon the request constitutes a waiver of any defense of the judgment debtor or affects the judgment debtor's right to produce evidence at the hearing. If the request is made by the judgment debtor within the prescribed time, the court shall schedule a hearing no later than twelve days after the request is made, unless the judgment debtor indicated that the judgment debtor felt the need for the hearing was an emergency, in which case the court shall schedule the hearing as soon as practicable after the request is made. Notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing shall be sent to the parties in accordance with division (E) of this section. The hearing shall be limited to a consideration of the amount of the personal earnings of the judgment debtor, if any, that can be used in satisfaction of the debt owed by the judgment debtor to the judgment creditor.
(D) If the judgment debtor does not request a hearing within the prescribed time pursuant to division (C) of this section, the court shall issue an order to the garnishee to pay some of the judgment debtor's personal disposable earnings into court, if they have not already been paid to the court. This order shall be based on the answer of the garnishee filed pursuant to section 2716.05 of the Revised Code. If a hearing is conducted, the court shall determine at the hearing the amount, calculated each pay period at the statutory percentage, of the judgment debtor's personal disposable earnings for the present pay period, if any, that can be used in satisfaction of the debt owed by the judgment debtor to the judgment creditor, and issue an order, accordingly, to the garnishee to pay that amount, calculated each pay period at the statutory percentage, of the personal disposable earnings into court if it has not already been paid to the court.
(E) If the judgment debtor requests a hearing within the prescribed time pursuant to division (C) of this section, the clerk shall send a notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing by regular mail to the judgment creditor or the judgment creditor's attorney and the judgment debtor.