garnish

Further, the garnishee is required to file the answer with the court and the garnishor within 20 days after service of the writ of garnishment in accordance with [section]77.04.

(7) If such claim is made, then the prevailing party claimant or garnishor is entitled to recover its costs pursuant to [section]77.16(2), which presumably includes attorneys' fees.

(4) When such a writ is issued, the bank/garnishee will often freeze the account and apply the funds, subject to any exemptions, to satisfy the judgment of the garnishor. A writ of garnishment also may be used to recover tangible or intangible personal property of the judgment debtor in the possession of another.

* Claiming and Disputing the "Head of Family Exemption"--There are two ways to properly claim the "head of family exemption." First, the judgment debtor can file an exemption form within 20 days of receipt of the notice of garnishment provided by the garnishor. (13) The garnishor then has a short period of time to object to the claimed exemption by filing a sworn statement contesting the exemption (i.e., three business days if the notice is served by hand delivery, and eight business days if it is served by mail).