NY CPLR § 5222-A (2021)
2021 New York Laws CVP - Civil Practice Law and Rules Article 52 - Enforcement of Money Judgments 5222-A - Service of Notices and Forms and Procedure for Claim of Exemption.

§  5222-a.  Service  of  notices  and forms and procedure for claim of exemption.  (a) Applicability. Any person authorized  under  subdivision (a)  of  section  fifty-two hundred twenty-two of this article issuing a restraining notice affecting a natural person's  account  at  a  banking institution  pursuant to such subdivision must comply with this section, in addition to the general provisions set forth  in  such  section.  Any sheriff  levying  against  a  natural  person's  account  at  a  banking institution pursuant to section fifty-two  hundred  thirty-two  of  this article  must  comply  with  this  section,  in  addition to the general provisions set forth in section fifty-two  hundred  thirty-two  of  this article.  The  procedures  set forth in subdivisions (b), (c), (d), (e), (f)  and  (g)  of  this  section  shall  not  apply  where  pursuant  to subdivision  (h)  and/or  (i) of section fifty-two hundred twenty-two or subdivision (e) of section fifty-two hundred thirty-two of this article, no funds in the account are restrained or levied upon.  (b) Service of exemption notice and exemption claim form.  1.  Service with restraining notice upon banking institution. The person issuing the restraining  notice  pursuant  to  subdivision  (a) of section fifty-two hundred twenty-two of this article shall provide the banking institution with the restraining notice,  a  copy  of  the  restraining  notice,  an exemption  notice  and  two  exemption  claim forms with sections titled "ADDRESS  A"  and  "ADDRESS  B"  completed.  The  exemption  notice  and exemption  claim forms shall be in the forms set forth in paragraph four of this subdivision. The notice and the forms shall  be  served  on  the banking institution together with the restraining notice and copy of the restraining  notice.  Service  must  be  accomplished in accordance with subdivision (a) or (g) of section fifty-two hundred twenty-two  of  this article.  Failure  to  serve  the  notice  and  forms  together with the restraining notice renders the restraining notice void, and the  banking institution shall not restrain the account.   2.  Service of execution by levy upon a garnishee banking institution. When serving  an  execution  pursuant  to  subdivision  (a)  of  section fifty-two  hundred thirty-two of this article, the sheriff shall provide the banking institution with an exemption notice and two exemption claim forms, which shall be in the forms set forth in paragraph four  of  this subdivision.  The  sheriff shall serve both the exemption notice and the exemption claim forms on  the  banking  institution  together  with  the execution  notice.  Service  must  be  accomplished  in  accordance with subdivision (a) of section fifty-two hundred thirty-two of this article. Failure to serve the notice and forms renders the  execution  void,  and the banking institution shall not levy upon the account.   3.  Service  upon  judgment  debtor.  Within  two  business days after receipt of the restraining notice or  execution,  exemption  notice  and exemption  claim  forms,  the  banking  institution shall serve upon the judgment debtor the copy of the restraining notice, the exemption notice and two exemption claim forms. The banking institution shall  serve  the notice  and  forms  by first class mail to the last known address of the judgment debtor. The inadvertent failure by a depository institution  to provide  the  notice required by this subdivision shall not give rise to liability on the part of the depository institution.   4. Content of exemption  notice  and  exemption  claim  form.  a.  The exemption notice shall be in the following form:                "EXEMPTION NOTICE as required by New York Law                 YOUR BANK ACCOUNT IS RESTRAINED OR "FROZEN"   The  attached  Restraining  Notice  or notice of Levy by Execution has been issued against your bank account. You  are  receiving  this  notice  because a creditor has obtained a money judgment against you, and one or more  of  your  bank accounts has been restrained to pay the judgment. A money judgment is a court's decision that you owe money to  a  creditor. You should be aware that FUTURE DEPOSITS into your account(s) might also be restrained if you do not respond to this notice.   You  may be able to "vacate" (remove) the judgment. If the judgment is vacated, your  bank  account  will  be  released.  Consult  an  attorney (including  free  legal  services)  or  visit  the  court clerk for more information about how to do this.   Under state and federal law, certain types of funds  cannot  be  taken from  your  bank  account  to  pay  a judgment. Such money is said to be "exempt."   DOES YOUR BANK ACCOUNT CONTAIN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF FUNDS?   1. Social security;   2. Social security disability (SSD);   3. Supplemental security income (SSI);   4. Public assistance (welfare);   5. Income earned while receiving SSI or public assistance;   6. Veterans benefits;   7. Unemployment insurance;   8. Payments from pensions and retirement accounts;   9. Disability benefits;   10. Income earned in the last 60 days (90% of which is exempt);   11. Workers' compensation benefits;   12. Child support;   13. Spousal support or maintenance (alimony);   14. Railroad retirement;   15. Black lung benefits; and/or   16. COVID-19  stimulus  relief  for  individuals  and  families   with children.   If  YES,  you can claim that your money is exempt and cannot be taken. To make the claim, you must  (a) complete the EXEMPTION CLAIM FORM attached;  (b) deliver or mail the form  to  the  bank  with  the  restrained  or "frozen" account; and  (c)  deliver  or  mail the form to the creditor or its attorney at the address listed on the form.   You must send the forms within 20 DAYS of the postmarked date  on  the envelope  holding  this  notice.  You  may  be  able to get your account released faster if you send to the  creditor  or  its  attorney  written proof  that your money is exempt. Proof can include an award letter from the government, an annual statement from your pension, pay stubs, copies of checks, bank records showing the last two months of account activity, or other papers showing that the money in your bank account  is  exempt. If you send the creditor's attorney proof that the money in your account is  exempt,  the attorney must release that money within seven days. You do not need an attorney to make an exemption claim using the form."   b. The exemption claim form shall be in the following form:  NAME OF COURT, NAME OF COUNTY  -------------------------------------x  PLAINTIFF/PETITIONER/CLAIMANT               INDEX NO. V. DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT                        EXEMPTION CLAIM FORM  -------------------------------------x  NAME AND ADDRESS OF JUDGMENT                NAME AND ADDRESS OF FINANCIAL CREDITOR OR ATTORNEY                        INSTITUTION (To be completed by judgment            To be completed by judgment creditor or attorney)                       creditor or attorney) ADDRESS                                     ADDRESS A_____________________                      B______________________   ____________________                        _____________________ Directions:  To  claim that some or all of the funds in your account are exempt, complete both copies  of  this  form,  and  make  one  copy  for yourself.  Mail or deliver one form to ADDRESS A and one form to ADDRESS B within twenty days of the date on the envelope  holding  this  notice. **If  you  have  any  documents,  such  as  an  award  letter, an annual statement from your pension, paystubs, copies of checks or bank  records showing  the  last two months of account activity, include copies of the documents with this form. Your account may be released more quickly.  _________________________________________________________________________  I state that my account contains the following type(s) of  funds  (check all that apply):  ____Social security ____Social security disability (SSD) ____Supplemental security income (SSI) ____Public assistance ____Wages while receiving SSI or public assistance ____Veterans benefits ____Unemployment insurance ____Payments from pensions and retirement accounts ____Income earned in the last 60 days (90% of which is exempt) ____Child support ____Spousal support or maintenance (alimony) ____Workers' compensation ____Railroad retirement or black lung benefits _____COVID-19 stimulus relief for individuals and families with children ____Other (describe exemption):_________________________________  I  request  that  any correspondence to me regarding my claim be sent to the following address:  _____________________________________________________________________                   FILL IN YOUR COMPLETE ADDRESS)  I certify under penalty of perjury that the statement above is  true  to the best of my knowledge and belief.  _________________________________________________________________________ DATE                                  SIGNATURE OF JUDGMENT DEBTOR  (c)  Claim  of  exemption.    1. To claim an exemption pursuant to the procedures in this section,  the  judgment  debtor  shall  complete  the exemption  claim  forms,  sign  them under penalty of perjury, and serve them within twenty days of the date  postmarked  on  the  correspondence containing  the  notice  and  forms. The judgment debtor shall serve one completed exemption claim form on the banking institution and the  other on the attorney for the judgment creditor. In the event that there is no attorney  for  the judgment creditor, then the exemption claim form must  be served directly on the judgment creditor.  The  judgment  debtor  may serve the exemption claim forms in person or by first-class mail.   2.  Where the banking institution receives an exemption claim form, it shall notify the judgment creditor forthwith of the date  on  which  the funds will be released pursuant to paragraph three of this subdivision.   3.  The  banking  institution  shall release all funds in the judgment debtor's account eight days after the date postmarked  on  the  envelope containing  the  executed  exemption  claim  form  mailed to the banking institution or the date of personal delivery of the  executed  exemption claim form to the banking institution, and the restraint shall be deemed void,  except where the judgment creditor interposes an objection to the exemption within that time.   4. Where the executed  exemption  claim  form  sent  to  the  judgment creditor  is  accompanied by information demonstrating that all funds in the account are exempt, the judgment creditor shall, within  seven  days of  the postmark on the envelope containing the exemption claim form and accompanying information, instruct the banking  institution  to  release the  account,  and the restraint shall be deemed void. Where the account contains some funds from exempt sources, and other  funds  from  unknown sources,  the  judgment  creditor  shall  apply  the lowest intermediate balance principle of accounting and, within seven days of  the  postmark on  the  envelope  containing  the exemption claim form and accompanying information, shall instruct  the  banking  institution  to  release  the exempt  money  in  the  account.  The  provisions  of  paragraph  two of subdivision (b) of rule twenty-one hundred three of this  chapter  shall not  enlarge  the  judgment  creditor's  time  to  move pursuant to this section. Information demonstrating that funds are exempt  includes,  but is not limited to, originals or copies of benefit award letters, checks, check  stubs  or  any  other  document  that discloses the source of the judgment debtor's income, and bank records showing the last  two  months of account activity. If the judgment creditor fails to act in accordance with  this  subdivision,  the  judgment creditor shall be deemed to have acted in bad faith and the judgment debtor may seek a court award of the damages, costs, fees and penalties provided for in  subdivision  (g)  of this section.   5.  If  no  claim  of exemption is received by the banking institution within twenty-five days after the notice and forms  are  mailed  to  the judgment  debtor,  the funds remain subject to the restraining notice or execution. Failure of  the  judgment  debtor  to  deliver  the  executed exemption  claim  form  does  not constitute a waiver of any right to an exemption.  (d) Objection to exemption claim and request for hearing.  A  judgment creditor  may  object  to  the claim of exemption by moving for an order pursuant to  section  fifty-two  hundred  forty  of  this  article.  The judgment  creditor  must  serve the banking institution and the judgment debtor  with  its  motion  papers  within  eight  days  after  the  date postmarked  on the envelope containing the executed exemption claim form or the date of personal delivery of the executed exemption claim form to the  banking  institution,  and  the  provisions  of  paragraph  one  of subdivision  (b)  of rule twenty-one hundred three of this chapter shall not enlarge the judgment  creditor's  time  to  move  pursuant  to  this section.  The judgment debtor shall be served at the address provided on the exemption claim form. The affirmation or affidavit in support of the motion shall demonstrate a reasonable belief that such judgment debtor's account contains funds that are not exempt from execution and the amount of such nonexempt funds. The executed  exemption  claim  form  shall  be attached  to  the affirmation or affidavit. The affirmation or affidavit shall not be conclusory, but is required to show the factual basis  upon  which  the  reasonable belief is based. The hearing to decide the motion shall be noticed for seven days after service of the moving papers.  The executed  exemption  claim  form  shall  be prima facie evidence at such hearing  that  the  funds in the account are exempt funds. The burden of proof shall be upon the judgment creditor to  establish  the  amount  of funds  that  are  not  exempt.  The court shall, within five days of the hearing, issue an order stating whether or not funds in the account  are exempt and ordering the appropriate relief. The judgment creditor or its attorney  must  serve  the  order  on  the  banking  institution and the judgment debtor no later than two business days after the  court  issues the order.  (e)  Duties  of  banking institution if objection is made to exemption claim. Upon receipt of a written objection pursuant to  subdivision  (d) of  this  section  from the judgment creditor or its attorney within the specified eight-day period, the banking  institution  shall  retain  the funds  claimed to be exempt for twenty-one days unless otherwise ordered by the court. If the period of twenty-one days expires and  the  banking institution  has  not  been  otherwise ordered by the court, the banking institution shall release the funds to the judgment debtor.  (f) Release of funds. At any time during the  procedure  specified  in this  section,  the  judgment  debtor or the judgment creditor may, by a writing dated after the service of the restraining  notice,  direct  the banking institution to release the funds in question to the other party. Upon  receipt  of  a  release, the banking institution shall release the funds as directed.  (g) Proceedings; bad faith claims. Where the judgment creditor objects to a claim of exemption pursuant to subdivision (d) of this section  and the  court  finds  that  the  judgment  creditor  disputed  the claim of exemption in bad faith, as provided in paragraph four of subdivision (c) of this section, the judgment debtor shall be awarded costs,  reasonable attorney  fees,  actual damages and an amount not to exceed one thousand dollars.  (h) Rights of judgment debtor. Nothing in this section  shall  in  any way  restrict  the rights and remedies otherwise available to a judgment debtor, including but not limited  to,  rights  to  property  exemptions under federal and state law.  (i)  The provisions of this section do not apply when the state of New York, or any of its agencies or municipal corporations is  the  judgment creditor, or if the debt enforced is for child support, spousal support, maintenance  or alimony, provided that the restraining notice contains a legend at the top thereof, above the caption, in sixteen point bold type with the following language: "The judgment creditor is the state of  New York,  or any of its agencies or municipal corporations, AND/OR the debt enforced  is  for  child  support,  spousal  support,   maintenance   or alimony.".