2007 Minnesota Statutes

550.143 LEVY ON FUNDS AT A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION.
    Subdivision 1. Procedure. When the sheriff is levying upon funds at a financial institution,
this section must be complied with, in addition to the general provisions set forth in section
550.135.
    Subd. 2. Disclosure form. Along with the writ of execution and the exemption notice
described in subdivision 3, the sheriff shall serve upon the financial institution an execution
disclosure form which must be substantially in the following form:

STATE OF MINNESOTA			DISTRICT COURT
COUNTY OF .....		.....	JUDICIAL DISTRICT
..... (Judgment Creditor)
against		FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
..... (Judgment Debtor)			EXECUTION
and			DISCLOSURE
..... (Third Party)

On the ..... day of ............., ......., the time of service of execution herein, there was due and
owing the judgment debtor from the third party the following:
(1) Money. Enter on the line below any amounts due and owing the judgment debtor, except
earnings, from the third party.
.....
(2) Setoff. Enter on the line below the amount of any setoff, defense, lien, or claim which the
third party claims against the amount set forth on line (1). State the facts by which such setoff,
defense, lien, or claim is claimed. (Any indebtedness to a third party incurred by the judgment
debtor within ten days prior to the receipt of the first execution levy on a debt is void as to the
judgment creditor.)
.....
(3) Exemption. Enter on the line below any amounts or property claimed by the judgment
debtor to be exempt from execution.
.....
(4) Adverse Interest. Enter on the line below any amounts claimed by other persons by
reason of ownership or interest in the judgment debtor's property.
.....
(5) Enter on the line below the total of lines (2), (3), and (4).
.....
(6) Enter on the line below the difference obtained (never less than zero) when line (5) is
subtracted from the amount on line (1).
.....
(7) Enter on the line below 110 percent of the amount of the judgment creditor's claim
which remains unpaid.
.....
(8) Enter on the line below the lesser of line (6) and line (7). You are hereby instructed to
remit this amount only if it is $10 or more.
.....

AFFIRMATION

I, ....................... (person signing Affirmation), am the third party or I am authorized by
the third party to complete this nonearnings disclosure, and have done so truthfully and to the
best of my knowledge.

Dated: .....		.....
		Signature
		.....
		Title
		.....
		Telephone Number

    Subd. 3. Exemption notice. If the levy is on funds of a judgment debtor who is a natural
person and if the funds to be levied are held on deposit at any financial institution, the judgment
creditor or its attorney shall provide the sheriff with two copies of an exemption notice, which
must be substantially in the form set forth below. The sheriff shall serve both copies of the
exemption notice on the financial institution, along with the writ of execution. Failure of the
sheriff to serve the exemption notices renders the levy void, and the financial institution shall take
no action. However, if this subdivision is being used to execute on funds that have previously
been garnished in compliance with section 571.71, the judgment creditor is not required to serve
additional exemption notices. In that event, the execution levy shall only be effective as to the
funds that were subject to the prior garnishment. Upon receipt of the writ of execution and
exemption notices, the financial institution shall retain as much of the amount due under section
550.04 as the financial institution has on deposit owing to the judgment debtor, but not more than
110 percent of the amount remaining due on the judgment.

STATE OF MINNESOTA			DISTRICT COURT
COUNTY OF .....		.....	JUDICIAL DISTRICT
..... (Judgment Creditor)
..... (Judgment Debtor)
TO: Debtor		EXEMPTION NOTICE

An order for attachment, garnishment summons, or levy of execution (strike inapplicable
language) has been served on ............. (Bank or other financial institution where you have an
account.)
Your account balance is $........
The amount being held is $........
However, all or a portion of the funds in your account will normally be exempt from
creditors' claims if they are in one of the following categories:
(1) relief based on need. This includes the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP),
Emergency Assistance (EA), Work First Program, Medical Assistance (MA), General Assistance
(GA), General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), Emergency General Assistance (EGA),
Minnesota Supplemental Aid (MSA), MSA Emergency Assistance (MSA-EA), Supplemental
Security Income (SSI), and Energy Assistance;
(2) Social Security benefits (Old Age, Survivors, or Disability Insurance);
(3) unemployment benefits, workers' compensation, or veterans' benefits;
(4) an accident, disability, or retirement pension or annuity;
(5) life insurance proceeds;
(6) the earnings of your minor child and any child support paid to you; or
(7) money from a claim for damage or destruction of exempt property (such as household
goods, farm tools, business equipment, a mobile home, or a car).
The following funds are also exempt:
(8) all earnings of a person in category (1);
(9) all earnings of a person who has received relief based on need, or who has been an
inmate of a correctional institution, within the last six months;
(10) 75 percent of every debtor's after tax earnings; and
(11) all of a judgment debtor's after tax earnings below 40 times the federal minimum wage.
TIME LIMIT ON EXEMPTIONS AFTER DEPOSIT IN BANK:
Categories (10) and (11): 20 days
Categories (8) and (9): 60 days
All others: no time limit, as long as funds are traceable to the exempt source. (In tracing
funds, the first-in, first-out method is used. This means money deposited first is spent first.)
The money being sought by the judgment creditor is being held in your account to give you a
chance to claim an exemption.
TO CLAIM AN EXEMPTION:
Fill out, sign, and mail or deliver one copy of the attached exemption claim form to the
institution which sent you this notice and mail or deliver one copy to the judgment creditor's
attorney. In the event that there is no attorney for the judgment creditor, then the notice shall be
sent directly to the judgment creditor. The address for the judgment creditor's attorney or the
judgment creditor is set forth below. Both copies must be mailed or delivered on the same day.
NOTE: You may help resolve your claim faster if you send to the creditor's attorney
written proof or documents that show why your money is exempt. If you have
questions regarding the documents to send as proof of an exemption, call the creditor's
attorney. If you do not send written proof and the creditor's attorney has questions
about your exemption claim, the creditor's attorney may object to your claim which
may result in a further delay in releasing your exempt funds.
If the financial institution does not get the exemption claim back from you within 14 days of
the date they mailed or gave it to you, they will be free to turn the money over to the sheriff or the
judgment creditor. If you are going to claim an exemption, do so as soon as possible, because
your money may be held until it is decided.
IF YOU CLAIM AN EXEMPTION:
(1) nonexempt money can be turned over to the judgment creditor or sheriff;
(2) the financial institution will keep holding the money claimed to be exempt; and
(3) seven days after receiving your exemption claim, the financial institution will release the
money to you unless before then it receives an objection to your exemption claim.
IF THE JUDGMENT CREDITOR OBJECTS TO YOUR EXEMPTION CLAIM:
the institution will hold the money until a court decides if your exemption claim is valid,
BUT ONLY IF the institution gets a copy of your court motion papers asserting the exemption
WITHIN TEN DAYS after the objection is personally served on you, or within 13 days from the
date the objection is mailed to you. You may wish to consult an attorney at once if the creditor
objects to your exemption claim.
MOTION TO DETERMINE EXEMPTION:
At any time after your funds have been held, you may ask for a court decision on the validity
of your exemption claim by filing a request for hearing which may be obtained at the office
of the court administrator of the above court.
PENALTIES:
If you claim an exemption in bad faith, or if the judgment creditor wrongly objects to an
exemption in bad faith, the court may order the person who acted in bad faith to pay costs, actual
damages, attorney fees, and an additional amount of up to $100.

	.....
	.....
	.....
	.....
	Name and address of (Attorney
	for) Judgment Creditor

EXEMPTION:
(a) Amount of exemption claim.
/ / I claim ALL the funds being held are exempt.
/ / I claim SOME of the funds being held are exempt.

The exempt amount is $ .....

(b) Basis for exemption.
Of the 11 categories listed above, I am in category number ............ (If more than one category
applies, you may fill in as many as apply.) The source of the exempt funds is the following:

.....

.....

.....

(If the source is a type of relief based on need, list the case number and county:
case number: ...............;
county: ....................)
I hereby authorize any agency that has distributed relief to me or any correctional institution
in which I was an inmate to disclose to the above named creditor or its attorney only whether or
not I am or have been a recipient of relief based on need or an inmate of a correctional institute
within the last six months.
I have mailed or delivered a copy of the exemption notice to the judgment creditor or
judgment creditor's attorney if represented at the address indicated above.

		.....
		DEBTOR
DATED: .....		.....
		.....
		.....
		DEBTOR ADDRESS
		.....
		DEBTOR TELEPHONE NUMBER

    Subd. 4. Effect of exemption notice. Within two business days after receipt of the writ of
execution and exemption notices, the financial institution shall serve upon the judgment debtor
two copies of the exemption notice. The financial institution shall serve the notice by first class
mail to the last known address of the judgment debtor. If no claim of exemption is received by the
financial institution within 14 days after the exemption notices are mailed to the judgment debtor,
the funds remain subject to the execution levy and shall be remitted to the sheriff within seven
days. If the judgment debtor elects to claim an exemption, the judgment debtor shall complete
the exemption notice, sign it under penalty of perjury, and deliver one copy to the financial
institution and one copy to the attorney for the judgment creditor within 14 days of the date
postmarked on the correspondence mailed to the debtor containing the exemption notices. In the
event that there is no attorney for the judgment creditor, then the notice must be sent directly to
the judgment creditor. Failure of the judgment debtor to deliver the executed exemption notice
does not constitute a waiver of any claimed right to an exemption. Upon timely receipt of a claim
of exemption, funds not claimed to be exempt by the debtor remain subject to the execution levy.
All money claimed to be exempt shall be released to the judgment debtor upon the expiration of
seven days after the date postmarked on the envelope containing the executed exemption notice
mailed to the financial institution, or the date of personal delivery of the executed exemption
notice to the financial institution, unless within that time the judgment creditor interposes an
objection to the exemption.
    Subd. 5. Objection to exemption claim. Objection shall be interposed by mailing or
delivering one copy of the written objection to the financial institution and one copy of the written
objection to the judgment debtor along with a copy of the judgment debtor's claimed exemption
form. Both copies of an objection to an exemption claim shall be mailed or delivered on the
same date. The financial institution may rely on the date of mailing or delivery of a notice to it
in computing any time periods in this section. The written objection must be substantially in
the form specified in subdivision 7.
    Subd. 6. Duties of financial institution if objection is made to exemption claim. Upon
receipt of a written objection from the judgment creditor or its attorney within the specified
seven-day period, the financial institution shall retain the funds claimed to be exempt. Unless the
financial institution receives a request for hearing and notice of hearing from the judgment debtor
asserting exemption rights within ten days after receipt of a written objection to the exemption,
the funds remain subject to the execution levy as if no claim of exemption had been made and
shall be remitted to the sheriff within seven days. If a request for hearing and notice of hearing to
determine the validity of a claim of exemption is received by the financial institution within the
period provided, it shall retain the funds claimed to be exempt until otherwise ordered by the court.
    Subd. 7. Notice of objection. (a) The written objection to the judgment debtor's claim of
exemption must be in substantially the following form:

STATE OF MINNESOTA			DISTRICT COURT
COUNTY OF .....		.....	JUDICIAL DISTRICT
..... (Judgment Creditor)			OBJECTION TO
..... (Judgment Debtor)			EXEMPTION CLAIM
..... (Garnishee) (Third Party)

The judgment creditor objects to your claim for exemption from garnishment, levy of
execution, order for attachment (strike inapplicable language) for the following reason(s): .....
.....
.....
Because of this objection, your financial institution will retain the funds you claimed to be
exempt for an additional ten days. If you wish to request a hearing on your exemption claim, you
need to do so within ten days from the date the objection was personally served on you, or within
13 days of the date the objection was mailed to you. You may request a hearing by completing the
attached form and filing it with the court administrator.
1. The court administrator's office shall provide clerical assistance to help with the writing
and filing of a Request for Hearing by any person not represented by counsel. The court
administrator may charge a fee of $1 for the filing of a Request for Hearing.
2. Upon the filing of a Request for Hearing, the court administrator shall schedule the matter
for a hearing no later than five business days from the date of filing. The court administrator shall
forthwith send a completed copy of the request, including the hearing date, time, and place to the
adverse party and to the financial institution by first class mail.
3. If it is possible that the financial institution might not receive the request mailed from the
court administrator within ten days, then you may want to personally deliver a copy of the request
to the financial institution after you have filed your request with the court.
4. An order stating whether your funds are exempt shall be issued by the court within three
days of the date of the hearing.
If you do not file a Request for Hearing within ten days of the date the objection was
personally served on you, or within 13 days from the date the objection was mailed to you, your
financial institution may turn your funds over to your creditor.
If you file a Request for Hearing and your financial institution receives it within ten days of
the date it received this objection, your financial institution will retain your funds claimed to be
exempt until otherwise ordered by the court.

	.....
	Judgment Creditor or Attorney

    Subd. 8. Request for hearing and notice for hearing. The request for hearing
accompanying the objection notice must be in substantially the following form:

STATE OF MINNESOTA			DISTRICT COURT
COUNTY OF .....		.....	JUDICIAL DISTRICT
..... (Judgment Creditor)		REQUEST FOR HEARING
..... (Judgment Debtor)			AND
..... (Third Party)		NOTICE FOR HEARING

I hereby request a hearing to resolve the exemption claim which has been made in this case
regarding funds in the account of ............. (Judgment Debtor) at the ......... (Financial Institution).
     I believe the property being held is exempt because
     .....
.....

Dated: .....
		(JUDGMENT DEBTOR)
		.....
		(ADDRESS)
		.....
		(DEBTOR PHONE NUMBER)
		.....

HEARING DATE: .....		TIME: .....
HEARING PLACE: .....

(Note to both parties: Bring with you to the hearing all documents and materials relevant to
the exemption claim and objection. Failure to do so could delay the court's decision.)
    Subd. 9. Release of funds. At any time during the procedure specified in this section,
the judgment debtor or the judgment creditor may, by a writing dated after the service of the
execution, direct the sheriff to release the funds in question to the other party. Upon receipt of a
release, the sheriff shall release the funds as directed.
    Subd. 10. Subsequent proceedings; bad faith claims. If in subsequent proceedings brought
by the judgment debtor or the judgment creditor, the claim of exemption is not upheld, and the
court finds that it was asserted in bad faith, the judgment creditor shall be awarded actual damages,
costs, and reasonable attorney fees resulting from the additional proceedings, and an amount not
to exceed $100. If the claim of exemption is upheld, and the court finds that the judgment creditor
disregarded the claim of exemption in bad faith, the judgment debtor shall be awarded costs,
reasonable attorney fees, actual damages, and an amount not to exceed $100. The underlying
judgment must be modified to reflect assessment of damages, costs, and attorney fees. However,
if the party in whose favor a penalty assessment is made is not actually indebted to the party's
attorney for fees, the attorney's fee award shall be made directly to the attorney and, if not paid,
an appropriate judgment in favor of the attorney shall be entered. Upon motion of any party in
interest, on notice, the court shall determine the validity of any claim of exemption, and may make
any order necessary to protect the rights of those interested. No financial institution is liable for
damages for complying with this section. Both copies of an exemption claim or an objection to an
exemption claim must be mailed or delivered on the same date. The financial institution may rely
on the date of mailing or delivery of a notice to it in computing any time periods in this section.
History: 1990 c 606 art 1 s 5; 1992 c 464 art 1 s 56; 1993 c 156 s 5; 1994 c 488 s 8; 1998 c
254 art 1 s 107; 1999 c 107 s 66; 1999 c 159 s 142; 2000 c 343 s 4; 2000 c 405 s 3-5