Collections: Garnishments Out-of-State

     While I have had good results in issuing garnishments out of state, especially when the garnishee is a bank that operates nationwide, success is not always guaranteed. Diversity in jurisdiction does create some issues. Recently a United States District Court granted a debtor’s motion to quash a garnishment summons after finding that the debtor’s wages were not located in Virginia. The garnishment summons had been issued by a Virginia creditor Virginia hospital. The debtor was a Pennsylvania resident doctor. The garnishee was an Ohio company. The court ruled that the garnishment summons issued by the court was ineffective to garnish the wages not located in Virginia.