Creditors often use Wage Garnishments to collect on debt owed to them. In the typical case, the creditor will begin a wage garnishment following the entry of a court judgment against the debtor. The state statute establishes the procedures that creditors must follow in order to initiate the garnishment. Once the garnishment is approved by the court, the creditor can garnish a certain amount from the debtor's wages until the claim has been fully paid.
The debtor can usually terminate a garnishment by filing for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code. If a garnishee files for bankruptcy during a garnishment period, the garnishment is usually terminated quickly.