In a garnishment proceeding, if the court rules for the plaintiff-creditor, the defendant-debtor’s asset under a third-party’s control will be garnished. The third party here is called a garnishee, and the plaintiff is a garnishor. The most common garnishees are employer of the debtor, or a bank in which the debtor has an account. When the garnishee receives a court judgment of garnishment (often called the writ of garnishment), the garnishee should stop the debtor’s access to the fund under the garnishee’s control. The garnishee essentially acts as an officer for the court, and the garnishee can be held liable if it transfers the debtor’s funds or assets upon the debtor’s request.
[Last updated in June of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]