ORS 461.253: Voluntary assignment of prizes; petition for judicial order; issuance of order; commission intervention in proceeding.

(1) Payment of a prize may be made to any person pursuant to a voluntary assignment of the right to receive future periodic prize payments, in whole or in part. Payment of a prize pursuant to an assignment made under this section must be made to a person designated as assignee under an appropriate judicial order of the circuit court for the county in which the assignor resides or in which the headquarters of the Oregon State Lottery Commission are located. (2) A copy of the petition for an order described in subsection (1) of this section and copies of all notices of any hearing in the matter shall be served on the commission not later than 10 days prior to any hearing or entry of any order. A nonrefundable processing fee of $500 for each assignee shall be paid to the commission when the copy of the petition is served on the commission. (3) The commission may intervene in a proceeding to protect the interests of the commission but shall not be considered an indispensable or necessary party. Notwithstanding the failure or refusal of the commission to appear in any proceeding, the Director of the Oregon State Lottery, the commission and the state shall be immune from liability for, and shall be discharged of all further liability with respect to, any amounts paid according to the terms of an order issued under this section. (4) A circuit court receiving a petition may issue an order approving the assignment and directing the commission to pay to the assignee all future prize payments so assigned upon finding that all of the following conditions have been met: (a) The assignment has been memorialized in writing and executed by the assignor and is subject to Oregon law; (b) The assignor provides a sworn declaration to the court attesting that the assignor is represented by independent legal counsel in connection with the assignment, has had the opportunity to receive independent financial and tax advice concerning the effects of the assignment, is of sound mind and is not acting under duress; (c) The proposed assignment does not and will not include or cover payments or portions of payments that are subject to a 30-day hold under ORS 461.715, unless appropriate provision is made in the order to satisfy the obligations giving rise to the hold; and (d) The proposed assignment and court order shall not require the commission to divide any prize payment so that portions of a single prize payment must be made to more than three persons at a time. (5) After receipt of a certified copy of a court order granted under this section, the commission shall acknowledge in writing to both the assignor and the assignee the agreement of the commission to make the prize payments in accordance with the provisions of the order. The commission shall thereafter make the prize payments in accordance with the order. (6) No modification or amendment to any assignment authorized by this section, and no additional or subsequent assignment of any prize, shall be valid or binding on the commission unless the modification, amendment or assignment is authorized by a separate judicial order issued in compliance with this section. [1995 c.478 §2]