Opinion ID: 1632544
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Analysis of Enright

Text: Because the Savigs' argument relies so heavily on our decision in Enright and our discussion there of Minn.Stat. § 524.6-203(a), we next analyze Enright. We first note that the holding in Enright does not contradict our conclusion that account holders should have the burden of proving net contributions to a joint account. The facts in Enright were different than the facts here. In Enright, it was undisputed that the non-debtor joint account holder (the debtor's wife) had contributed all the funds in the joint accounts. 735 N.W.2d at 329 (Lehmann [debtor] asserts, and Enright [creditor] agrees, that Zandra [non-debtor] deposited all the money in the joint accounts.). The creditor made no attempt to show that the non-debtor intended to confer ownership of the funds to the debtor by placing the funds in the joint account. Id. The primary question was whether the non-debtor's funds could be garnished to satisfy a judgment entered against the debtor. Id. The funds had already been retained; the issue was whether the creditor was entitled to the funds in spite of the undisputed fact that the money was the non-debtor's. We stated our holding on this question in slightly different, but consistent ways, three separate times in the opinion: 1. We reverse and hold that the plain language of the Multi-Party Accounts Act, Minn.Stat. § 524.6-203(a) (2006), prevents a creditor from garnishing funds in a joint account not contributed by the debtor unless the creditor proves by clear and convincing evidence that the depositing party intended to confer ownership of the funds on the debtor. Enright, 735 N.W.2d at 328. 2. Therefore, we hold that where one party has contributed all the money in a joint account, a creditor cannot garnish the account to satisfy a debt belonging to a non-contributing party unless the creditor provides clear and convincing evidence that the depositor intended to confer ownership of the funds on the debtor. Id. at 331. 3. Under the plain language of Minn. Stat. § 524.6-203, funds in a joint account may not be garnished to satisfy a judgment against a party who did not contribute the funds, unless the creditor provides clear and convincing evidence that the depositor intended the funds to belong to the debtor. Enright, 735 N.W.2d at 336. Enright established a rule placing the burden on creditors to prove ownership of funds in a joint account once net contributions are known. We did not address the preliminary question of who has the burden of first proving net contributions. Who made the contributions is a separate and distinct question from whether a known contributor intended to confer ownership of certain funds. Because the debtor in Enright had already established that the funds in the joint accounts belonged to the non-debtor account holder, we were not faced with the question of whether creditors or account holders have the burden of proving net contributions. We were only concerned with who has the burden of proof after net contributions are known. Enright does not answer the question here, so the Savigs' reliance on Enright is misplaced, and our conclusion here is not inconsistent with our holding in Enright.