If you are garnished are you notified by mail or a summons if you checked your bank account and a garnishment had taken place but you knew nothing of it and you have to call to find out what it is for?

Answer 1

If the defendant does not respond to the summons in the time indicated, the plaintiff usually wins the case by default. In such cases the judge awards a default judgement, the defendant may or may not be notified of the action depending upon the state's laws governing such issues. Once a judgment has been granted the winning plaintiff can enforce the judgment in numerous ways, one of those ways is a bank account levy/garnishment. A bank account garnishment can be in force for thirty days or until the amount is collected that is owed. Joint accounts are subject to garnishment to the amount that belongs to the debtor, it is the responsibility of the non-debtor to petition the court for the funds belonging to him or her. Joint marital counts are protected in a few states, however, the bank will generally "freeze" an account that it is not certain of, until the court rules on the validity of the garnishment order.