812.37 Debtor's answer.

(1) Except as provided in s. 812.34 (1), the debtor may claim an exemption under s. 812.34 (2) (b) or a limit to the garnishment under s. 812.34 (2) (c), or may assert any defense to the earnings garnishment, by completing the answer form and delivering or mailing it to the garnishee. The debtor or debtor's spouse may file an answer or an amended answer at any time before or during the effective period of the earnings garnishment.

(2) Whenever the garnishee receives a debtor's answer or amended answer, the garnishee shall mail a copy of the answer to the creditor by the end of the 3rd business day after receiving the debtor's answer, writing on that copy the date of receipt of the answer by the garnishee.

(3) Unless served with an order of the court directing otherwise, in determining whether to pay any part of the debtor's earnings to the creditor, the garnishee shall accept as true and binding any exemption claimed in the debtor's answer or any amended answer received before payment is made to the creditor under s. 812.39 (1).

History: 1993 a. 80; 1997 a. 291; 2003 a. 138.

NOTE: 1993 Wis. Act 80 contains judicial council notes.

When sub.(3) is read in isolation, it appears to imply that although a garnishee is bound by an exemption claimed in an answer until the court rules on the exemption, the garnishee is free to disregard any defenses to the garnishment that are asserted in the answer. However, the official form embodied in s. 812.44 (3) clearly states that a garnishee is bound by both exemptions and defenses. When these provisions of the garnishment statute are read together, it appears that the garnishee is required to accept both exemptions and defenses as true pending a court ruling on the answer. Whitehead v. Discover Bank, 118 F. Supp. 3d 1111 (2015).