PART II. LOANS ON WAGE OR SALARY ASSIGNMENT

§731. Assignment of earnings

A. A voluntary sale, transfer, or assignment of earnings executed by a person is not enforceable against his employer unless the employer consents thereto in writing. However, if the sale, transfer, or assignment is for the purpose of fulfilling a current or past due support obligation, or both, upon written notice by personal or domiciliary service or by registered or certified mail it shall be enforceable against a present or future employer without the employer's consent thereto.

B. Should there be a prior judgment, decree, order, or sentence of court, or a sale, transfer, or assignment against the person's earnings, upon written notice of that fact given by the employer, it shall become the duty of the party seeking to enforce the subsequent support obligation to obtain a ranking of the respective obligations from the appropriate court to insure that the maximum deduction from earnings will not be exceeded.

C. No person shall be discharged from employment nor denied employment because of a voluntary assignment or a single garnishment of earnings. Any person so discharged shall have a right to reinstatement and back pay, but shall not have a right to damages. Any person denied employment solely because of a voluntary assignment or garnishment of wages shall have a right to reasonable damages. A person may, however, be discharged from employment if his earnings are subjected to three or more garnishments for unrelated debts in a two year period, but no garnishment resulting from an accident or illness causing a person to miss ten or more consecutive days at work shall be considered for purpose of this provision.

Added by Acts 1952, No. 135, §1. Amended by Acts 1981, No. 812, §6, eff. Aug. 2, 1981; Acts 1981, Ex.Sess., No. 36, §9, eff. Nov. 19, 1981; Acts 1982, No. 536, §1; Acts 1983, No. 204, §1.