Can My Wages be Garnished?

There seems to be much confusion among consumers in Pennsylvania with regard to the right of creditors or debt collectors to cause wages to be garnished for the payment of past due obligations. This may be due to the fact that Pennsylvania is one out of only a handful of states that have thus far thwarted the strong creditor lobby in favor of wage garnishment laws. There are two fundamental facts you must understand about wage garnishment:

1. No jurisdiction within the United States permits the garnishment of wages without legal process, i.e., you must first be sued by the respective creditor, debt collector or debt buyer before anyone can even raise the specter of wage garnishment;
2. Pennsylvania does not permit wage garnishment (with a few extremely limited exceptions, namely child support and past due rent)

For more information about wage garnishment, please see our recent post on our Abusive Debt Collection blog.

Announcing an Important New Website for Pennsylvania Consumers

As a joint venture between Attorney Amy Good-Ashman and the Law Office of Stephen M. Otto LLC, a new website has been launched with the goal of educating Pennsylvania consumers regarding their rights vis-a-vis aggressive debt collectors and debt buyers. The site is called "Abusive Debt Collection in Pennsylvania". Please feel free to visit!

Amy Good-Ashman earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (with honors) from Albright College. Amy is a cum laude graduate of Widener University School of Law, Harrisburg campus, where she was a member of the Trial Advocacy Honor Society; served as an associate editor for the Widener Law Journal, Volume 15; and served as the Symposium Editor for the Widener Law Journal, Volume 16. During her law school experience, Amy spoke at the National Conference of Law Reviews in Chicago on the topic of law review symposia, was awarded the Legal Research & Writing Award from Widener University, and was awarded the Medal of Excellence from the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Ms. Good-Ashman is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, and the United States Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania. Amy is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the American Bankruptcy Institute, the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the Eastern District Bankruptcy Conference, the American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Berks County Bar Association.

Ms. Good-Ashman is active in the community and has served as a member of the Wyomissing Area School District Tax Study Commission, the West Reading Planning Commission, the West Reading Recreation Board and the West Reading Borough Council.