ORS 18.700: Manner of making challenge to garnishment.

(1) A debtor may use a challenge to a garnishment to claim such exemptions from garnishment as are permitted by law. A challenge to a garnishment may also be used by a debtor: (a) To assert that the amount specified in the writ of garnishment as being subject to garnishment is greater than the total amount owed by the debtor to the creditor; or (b) To assert that property is not garnishable property. (2) A debtor may make a challenge to a garnishment by completing the challenge to garnishment form provided by ORS 18.850, or a substantially similar form, and by delivering, in person or by first class mail, the original of the completed form to the court administrator for the court specified in the writ of garnishment as the court with authority over the writ and a copy of the completed form to the garnishor. A challenge to a garnishment must be delivered: (a) Within 120 days after a copy of the writ of garnishment is delivered to the debtor, if the garnishee is the employer of the debtor and the challenge is based on an exemption that is claimed for wages earned by the debtor from the garnishee; or (b) Within 30 days after a copy of the writ of garnishment is delivered to the debtor, if the challenge is made on any other basis. (3) Upon receiving a challenge to a garnishment under subsection (2) of this section, the court administrator shall retain all payments sent to the court administrator under ORS 18.705 and 18.708 until such time as the court enters a decision on the challenge. The court administrator shall reject any payment that is received after the challenge is made and that is not payable to the court, and the court administrator shall return the payment to the garnishee with instructions to reissue the payment as payable to the court. (4) A court shall not require the payment of any fee for the filing of a challenge to a garnishment. (5) A challenge to a garnishment may be used only for the purposes specified in this section and ORS 18.725. [2001 c.249 §30; 2003 c.85 §12; 2003 c.576 §57]