1059 155846588 Fab's Verified Response To Defendants Claims of Exemption
1059 155846588 Fab's Verified Response To Defendants Claims of Exemption
1059 155846588 Fab's Verified Response To Defendants Claims of Exemption
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Plaintiff,
vs.
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LAURENCE S. SCHNEIDER,
STEPHANIE L. SCHNEIDER, et al.,
Defendants.
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___________________________________/
favor of First American and ordered Laurence Schneider (“Laurence”) to pay First American
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2. The Judgment allowed for its immediate execution, including the language “for
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The Judgment was also entered against Stephanie Schneider (“Stephanie” and together with
Schneider, “Schneiders”). On March 9, 2022, the Fourth District Court of Appeal entered an order
reversing the Judgment against Stephanie in Case No. 4D21-571 (the “Appeal”). On March 22, 2022,
First American filed a Motion for Rehearing and Motion or Rehearing En Banc in the Appeal, which was
denied on April 28, 2022. On May 31, 2022, First American filed a Notice to Invoke Discretionary
Jurisdiction of Supreme Court in the Florida Supreme Court, and on June 6, 2022, filed its Jurisdictional
Brief. On July 14, 2022, Stephanie filed her Amended Answer to First American’s Jurisdictional Brief.
The matter remains pending before the Florida Supreme Court as of the date of this Motion.
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
FILED: PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL, JOSEPH ABRUZZO, CLERK, 08/22/2022 04:33:02 PM
3. On July 15, 2022, the Clerk of this Court issued two writs of garnishment: (1) one
to BankUnited, N.A. (the “BankUnited Writ”); and (2) one to First Horizon Bank (the “First
Horizon Writ” and together with the BankUnited Writ, the “Writs”).
4. In compliance with Fla. Stat. § 77.041(2), Plaintiff has served the Writs of
5. On August 10, 2022, the three Claim of Exemption and Request for Hearing
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forms were filed by the Schneiders (the “Claims of Exemption”.
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6. As to the BankUnited Writ, both Schneiders claimed the following exemptions:
a. I provide more than one-half of the support for a child or other dependent, have
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net earnings of more than $750 per week, but have not agreed in writing to have
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my wages garnished (the “Head of Family Exemption”).
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b. An “other exemption provided by law,” described as: “The Account sought to be
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garnished herein is not subject to garnishment due to the funds therein derive
from a business wherein the ownership is held in TBE by both Stephanie and
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Laurence Schneider, and the salary or disbursement funds held in this account are
7. As to the First Horizon Writ, the Schneiders claimed the following exemptions:
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‘per tout,’ and therefore is NOT subject to garnishment by any individual creditor
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
LEGAL ARGUMENT & AUTHORITIES
exemption is on a judgment debtor. See Cole v. Am. Capital Partners Ltd., Inc., 2010 WL
114890, at *4 (S.D. Fla. 2010) (“[w]here a party claims an exemption, the burden of proof
generally falls on the party claiming entitlement to such objection.”) (citations omitted).
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As to the Head of Family Exemption, the Schneiders are husband and wife and have two
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adult children. As a matter of law, as spouses, only one of the Schneiders can claim the Head of
Family Exemption. See Parra v. Minto Townpark, LLC, No. 08-14168-CIV, 2010 WL
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11504487, at *1 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 10, 2010) (holding that judgment debtors “cannot both be heads
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of family” for purposes of attempting to dissolve a writ of garnishment); G.E.E.N. Corp. v.
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Southeast Toyota Distributors, Inc., No. 93-632-CV-ORL-19, 1997 WL 561307, at * 3 (M.D.
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Fla. Sept. 2, 1997) (explaining that “[i]t is axiomatic that both spouses, for the purposes of Fla.
Stat. § 222.11 cannot be the head of family.”). As they cannot simultaneously claim the
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exemption, a hearing is required to determine both the validity of the Head of Family Exemption
and which of the Schneiders may so claim it, if either may do so at all.2
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To qualify as a head of family pursuant to § 222.11, Florida Statutes, the claimant must
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prove that his or she is providing more than one-half of the support for a child or other
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dependent. If a claimant is a head of family and has disposable earnings in excess of $750 per
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week, the claimant’s disposable earnings up to $750 are exempt from garnishment, but a
judgment creditor may recover 25% of the disposable income above that threshold. See Maki v.
Multibank 2009-1 RES-ADC Venure, LLC, 310 So. 3d 1056, 1059 (Fla. 2d DCA 2020). Head of
2
In her Fact Information Sheet, Mrs. Schneider disclosed that her spouse was the head of
household. Unredacted copies of the Schneider’s Fact Information Sheets will be provided prior to a
hearing on the Claims of Exemption.
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
family earnings are exempt for six months after they are received and credited or deposited in a
bank account if the funds can be traced and properly identified as earnings. Fla. Stat. §
i. Head of Family
A claimant must first prove that he or she is providing more than one-half of the support
for a child or other dependent. To date, neither of the Schneiders have provided First American
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or the Court with any such proof. In his Fact Information Sheet, Laurence disclosed two adult
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children. He did not disclose Stephanie’s income. Jordyn Schneider, the Schneider’s adult
daughter, incorporated at least two corporations in the last few years. It is reasonable to believe
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that Jordyn is independent, or at a minimum, does not receive more than half her support from
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the Schneiders. Zachary Schneider, the Schneider’s adult son, attends college, and may certainly
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receive less than half of his support from the Schneiders. Further, without additional information
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about their income, even if one or both adult children receives more than half of their support
from their parents, it is impossible to determine based on the current record whether Laurence or
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Stephanie provides that support – and as spouses, they cannot both qualify as head of family.
ii. Earnings
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Not all income qualifies as exempt earnings under § 222.11, Florida Statutes. The statute
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defines earnings as “compensation paid or payable, in money of a sum certain, for personal
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added. Cases throughout both Florida state and federal courts make clear that a debtor that owns
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
Courts look to a number of factors in determining if payments are exempt salary/wages or
actually come from running the business. Some common factors include whether the debtor
how much control the debtor has over the amount of his compensation and terms of his
employment. See Kane v. Stewart Tilghman, 197 So. 3d at 142 (internal citations omitted). In the
Kane case, the Fourth District concluded that where the judgment debtors operated under
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contracts negotiated only between themselves, controlled their business, could not be terminated
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except by themselves, and were not paid in accordance with their purported contracts, but rather
received payment when the business could afford to do so, the payments from the business to the
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judgment debtors were not salary, but were actually akin to shareholder distributions that were
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outside the scope of the exemption found in § 222.11, Florida Statutes. Id.
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In Brock v. Westport Recovery Corp., 832 So. 2d 209 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002), the Fourth
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District Court of Appeal noted that “the relevant inquiry is often whether a person’s employment
is a salaried job or in the nature of running a business.” 832 So. 2d at 211. In Brock, where the
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owned business, there was no formal employment agreement between the judgment debtor and
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the business, earnings were previously characterized as disbursements from profits, the judgment
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debtor’s pay stub did not correspond to his year to date earnings, and the judgment debtor could
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not satisfactorily explain why his distributions decreased by almost half in one year, it was not
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error for the trial court to determine that that head of family exemption was inapplicable because
the judgment debtor’s income did not qualify as earnings exempted under the statute. Id. at 212.
Numerous other cases have found similarly. In In re Zamora, 187 B.R. 783 (Bankr. S.D.
Fla. 1995), the court found that earnings from a business controlled by a debtor were not exempt
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
under § 222.11, Florida Statutes. 187 B.R. at 785. In that case, the debtor was the 100% owner of
a corporation which he managed and an attorney in sole practice. He had complete control over
the amount of his compensation and the terms of his employment, and no employment contract
existed between the debtor and his legal practice or his or corporation. The court noted that
certainly the legislature did not intent to exempt all funds a person chooses to “draw” from a
business where that same individual has full discretion over what to pay or not pay in order to
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fund the draw. Id.
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Such is the case here. In his Fact Information Sheet, Laurence disclosed his employers as
Real Estate & Finance, Inc. (“REF”), 1st Fidelity Loan Servicing, LLC (“1st Fidelity”), Mortgage
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Resolution Services (“MRS”), and S&A Capital Partners, Inc. (“S&A”). Laurence listed his
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position/job description as “principal,” and has been discussed with this Court on prior
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occasions, upon information and belief, these entities are owned and controlled by Laurence.
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Laurence’s compensation is unclear. In his Fact Information Sheet, he lists his rate of pay as
$40,000 once per year, but it is unclear which entity pays this. The 2020 W-2 statements attached
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to the Fact Information Sheet do not clarify this confusion – it appears that in 2020, S&A paid
Laurence $40,000, but that the entirety of that $40,000 was withheld in federal income taxes,
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social security taxes, and Medicare taxes, which would make his take home income $0. Laurence
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did not provide his last two filed income tax returns as required by the Fact Information Sheet,
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which might have clarified this confusion. Stephanie’s income is not disclosed in the Fact
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Information Sheet as required, but her W-2 from S&A is attached to the Fact Information Sheet
is identical to Laurence’s and reflects income of $40,000, all of which was withheld in taxes.
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
But bank account records from Northern Trust for the Schneider’s personal account make
clear that the Schneiders made far in excess of $0 or even $40,000 each in 2020.3 In fact, based
on the bank records, in 2020 the Schneiders received at least $552,561.80 in income, at least
$320,000 of which was from 1st Fidelity. The deposits from 1st Fidelity did not occur on
predictable dates or in predictable amounts as would be expected for transfers related to salary or
wages. Instead, the records make clear that transfers from 1st Fidelity are discretionary
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distributions, taken when Laurence needs money and when 1st Fidelity has available money to
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distribute.
The transfers making up the remaining amount also did not occur on predictable dates or
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amounts, and upon information and belief, most if not all of these transfers came from S&A and
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REF. Transfers from S&A are unlikely to be exempt earnings. In S&A’s Answers to the
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Continuing Writs of Garnishment Against Laurence S. Schneider and Stephanie Schneider, S&A
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Laurence is a shareholder of S&A, as well as the president, and because the bank records do not
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indicate regular deposits of a sum certain, it is reasonable to conclude that Laurence controls his
own compensation and terms of employment, and that any income from S&A is from running
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the business and made up of discretionary distributions, not from personal services or labor. Such
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earnings are non-exempt. The same is true from any transfers from REF and MRS.
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Laurence has not provided the Court or First American with any employment contracts
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between himself and any of these entities that would support a finding that his income qualifies
as exempt earnings. The reality is that Laurence owns and controls these entities, controls when
and how much he is paid, and controls the terms of his own employment. Even if one of the
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVAR D I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
Schneiders can prove they qualify as head of family, the earnings are in the nature of running a
business, and thus not exempt from garnishment under § 222.11(b), Florida Statutes.
iii. Tracing
Even if Laurence can sustain his burden of proof that he qualifies as head of family, and
that earnings are exempt from garnishment, for the exemption to apply to wages already paid, the
funds must (1) be deposited in a bank account; and (2) traced and properly identified as wages.
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In re Lancaster, 161 B.R. 308, 309 (Bankr. S.D. Fla. 1993), citing In re McCafferty, 81 B.R. 99
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(Bankr. M.D. Fla. 1987). The burden to conduct such tracing is on the claimant. § 222.11(c),
Florida Statutes. Additionally, the exemption only applies for 6 months. Id. First American is
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entitled to garnish 25% of the portion of REDACTE income that exceeds the $750 threshold.
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Maki v. Multibank 2009-1 RES-ADC Venure, LLC, 310 So. 3d 1056, 1060 (Fla. 2d DCA 2020).
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B. The BankUnited TBE Exemption
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There are six required characteristics to hold property as tenants by the entireties:
(3) unity of title (the interests must have originated in the same instrument);
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(6) unity of marriage (the parties must be married at the time the property became titled
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Beal Bank, SSB v. Almand & Associates, 780 So. 2d 45, 52 (Fla. 2001)
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 I T 305-358-6363
BankUnited’s answer to the BankUnited Writ clearly discloses that the garnished account
is titled only in the name of Laurence. Thus, as a matter of law, the BankUnited TBE Exemption
The Schneiders’ attempt to claim that the funds in the account are exempt because they
derive from a business held as tenants by the entireties in unavailing. The Schneiders have not
disclosed what business the funds in the account derive from, have not offered proof that this
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business is owned by them as tenants by the entireties, and have not provided any legal authority
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for the position that even if the business is owned as such, that once funds leave the business and
are deposited into a bank account owned by only one of them, the funds still retain their exempt
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nature.
thus is subject to garnishment. The signature card for the account evidences that it is a joint
account:
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Because the Schneiders expressly designated a multiple party account in the face of a
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tenancy by the entireties option, there is no presumption that a tenancy by the entireties exists,
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and absent evidence of fraud, this disclaimer ends the inquiry as to whether a tenancy of the
entireties was intended – it was not. See Beal Bank, SSB v. Almand & Associates, 780 So. 2d 45,
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MELAND I BUDWICK
3200 SOUTHEAST FINANCIAL CENTER I 200 SOUTH BISCAYNE BOULEVARD I MIAMI, FL 33131 IT 305-358-6363
WHEREFORE, First American respectfully requests that the Court enter an Order
denying the Claims of Exemption and granting Plaintiff such additional relief as the Court deems
VERIFICATION
Pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 95.525, under penalties of pe1jury, I declare that I have read the
foregoing Response to Defendants' Claims of Exemption and that the facts stated herein are hue
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to the best of my knowledge and belief.
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aghan Murph
Counsel to First American Bank
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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I CERTIFY that the foregoing document has been furnished to all registered users via the
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ls/Meaghan E. Murphy
Meaghan E. Murphy, Esquire
Florida Bar No. 102770
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mmurphy@melandbudwick.com
MELAND BUDWICK, P.A.
200 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 3200
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Plaintiff,
V.
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LAURENCE S. SCHNEIDER,
STEPHANIE L. SCHNEIDER, et al.
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Defendant(s).
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CLAIM OF EXEMPTION AND REQUEST FOR HEARING
D.E. 1021 WRIT OF GARNISHMENT BANK UNITED
a. I provide more than one-half of the support for a child or other dependent and have net
earnings of $750 or less per week.
XX b. I provide more than one-half of the support for a child or other dependent, have net
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earnings of more than $750 per week, but have not agreed in writing to have my wages
garnished.
2. Social Secmity benefits.
3. Supplemental Security Income benefits.
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6. Unemployment Compensation.
7. Veterans' benefits.
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9. Life insurance benefits or cash surrender value of a life insurance policy or proceeds of
annuity contract.
10. Disability income benefits.
11. Prepaid College Trust Fund or Medical Savings Account.
XX 12. Other exemptions as provided by law.
The Account sought to be garnished herein is not subject to garnishment due lo the funds therein derive from
a business wherein the ownership is held in TBE by both Stephanie and Laurence Schneider, and the salary or
disbursement funds held in this account are wages and not subject to garnishment.
I request a hearing to decide the validity of my claim. Notice of the hearing should be given to
me at: c/o Marlin G. McCanhy, Esq., McCarthy & Yersel, PLLC, 4929 S.W. 74 th Court, Miami,
FL 33155, mccarthy@myattorneyservices.com and lawclerk@m yattorneyservices.com
Swom and subscribed lo befor· e l. .'. •is _ ~-;f(month and year), by (name of person
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making statement)
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Notary Publie/D cpn~rk ''------L-t- ·= ~~~~- -.-..._ .._.'4
Pmonally Known OR Pro, ccd Ucnlilicnlion__ ANot ary Public s 1818 of Florida
Type ofldentificationProduccd
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Martin G. McCat1h
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Filing# 155063161 E-Filed 08/ 10/2022 02:43:00 PM
Plaintiff,
V.
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LAURENCE S. SCHNEIDER,
STEPHANIE L. SCHNEIDER, et al.
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Defendant(s).
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CLAIM OF EXEMPTION AND REQUEST FOR HEARING
D.E. 1021 WRIT OF GARNISHMENT BANK UNITED
a. I provide more than one-half of the support for a child or other dependent and have net
earnings of $750 or less per week.
XX b. I provide more than one-half of the support for a child or other dependent, have net
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earnings of more than $750 per week, but have not agreed in writing to have my wages
garnished.
2. Social Secmity benefits.
3. Supplemental Security Income benefits.
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6. Unemployment Compensation.
7. Veterans' benefits.
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9. Life insurance benefits or cash surrender value of a life insurance policy or proceeds of
annuity contract.
10. Disability income benefits.
11. Prepaid College Trust Fund or Medical Savings Account.
XX 12. Other exemptions as provided by law.
The Account sought to be garnished herein is not subject to garnishment due lo the funds therein derive from
a business wherein the ownership is held in TBE by both Stephanie and Laurence Schneider, and the salary or
disbursement funds held in this account are wages and not subject to garnishment.
I request a hearing to decide the validity of my claim. Notice of the hearing should be given to
me at: c/o Marlin G. McCanhy, Esq., McCarthy & Yersel, PLLC, 4929 S.W. 74 th Court, Miami,
FL 33155, mccarthy@myattorneyservices.com and lawclerk@m yattorneyservices.com
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Swam and subscribed lo before me this
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making slatcment) on
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Personally Kn ow n+ OR Produced I
Type ofldentification Produced.__ _ Notary Public state of Florlda
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Filing# 155063161 E-Filed 08/ 10/2022 02:43:00 PM
Plaintiff,
V.
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LAURENCE S. SCHNEIDER,
STEPHANIE L. SCHNEIDER, et al.
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Defendant(s).
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CLAIM OF EXEMPTION AND REQUEST FOR HEARING
D.E. 1022 WRIT OF GARNISHMENT FIRST HORIZON'S BANK
XX b. I provide more than one-half of the support for a child or other dependent, have net
earnings of more than $750 per week, but have not agreed i.n writing to have my wages
garnished.
2. Social Security benefits.
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5. Workers' Compensation.
6. Unemployment Compensation.
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7. Veterans' benefits.
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Swom and subscribed lo befor· e l. .'. •is _ ~-;f(month and year), by (name of person
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making statement)
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Notary Publie/D cpn~rk ''------L-t- ·= ~~~~- -.-..._ .._.'4
Pmonally Known OR Pro, ccd Ucnlilicnlion__ ANot ary Public s 1818 of Florida
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MyHCommlssfon Y
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Swam and subscribed lo before me this
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Personally Kn ow n+ OR Produced I
Type ofldentification Produced.__ _ Notary Public state of Florlda
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