Posted 02-05-2013
Ann Kiernan replies:
If a creditor gets a judgment against an employee (for example, for credit card debt, child support, overdue taxes, or delinquent student loans), one of the ways it can collect is garnishment. A court issues a garnishment order requiring the employer to deduct money from the employee’s wages and send it directly to the creditor until the judgment is paid off. A federal statute, the Consumer Credit Protection Act, says that employees cannot be fired because their wages have been garnished for any one debt, and it limits the amount of an employee’s earnings that may be garnished in any one week.
I could find no cases discussing your situation, but I can tell you that, as a general rule, employers should keep information about the garnishment—like all payroll information—confidential and share it only with those who have a legitimate need to know, such as the payroll administrator. This can help protect the employee’s privacy, prevent unnecessary embarrassment, and should ensure that managers do not become aware of the garnishment and, therefore, will not take inappropriate disciplinary action because of it.
You may want to consult a local employment lawyer to further explore your rights. Good luck.
Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.
