Asset Protection Law Journal : Asset Protection Lawyer & Attorney : Kenneth J. Laino : Schneider Smeltz Ranney & LaFond Law Firm : Trusts, Estate Planning

An article in the September 20, 2009 Business section of the Cleveland Plain Dealer contains a good summary of the various remedies available to a creditor who has a judgment against you.  Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Sheryl Harris is discussing a $3,000 judgment obtained in a small claims court in Rocky River, Ohio; but the alternatives she outlines would be just as applicable to a $3 million judgment in Ohio and many other states.

Here are a few of the things a judgment creditor may be able to do:

• Garnish your wages
• Attach your bank accounts
• File a lien against your home and/or other real estate that you own
• Force a sale of your home and/or other real estate that you own
• Attach your personal property

There are of course limits on these remedies.  A creditor can garnish only a certain percentage of your wages.  As I have discussed in other posts, a small portion of the equity in your home will be protected in Ohio pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 2329.66 (while states such as Florida and Texas protect almost all the equity in your home).  It may be possible for the creditor to seize the full amount of your bank accounts, up to the amount of the judgment against you.  Transferring assets after a judgment has been entered (or even after a lawsuit has started) will likely be a prohibited fraudulent conveyance under Ohio Revised Code Section 1336.04 and similar statutes in other states.

The situation that columnist Sheryl Harris is writing about sounds like one in which we would all be rooting for the creditor.  The creditor is trying to collect on a judgment against a roofing company that failed to make proper repairs.  In many cases, however, I am representing a potential debtor.  And in those situations I want to lawfully protect the assets of that person or entity to the greatest extent reasonably possible under applicable law. 

The Cleveland Plain Dealer article is a good reminder that while debtors have many rights, so do creditors.  Asset protection attorneys must have a thorough understanding of the rights of creditors.  When an attorney is working to protect your assets, he or she must be knowledgeable about the various techniques that can be used to seize those assets.

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Asset protection planning generally involves transferring and/or re-titling some or all of your assets in order to better protect those assets from claims of creditors. Not surprisingly, however, there are statutory prohibitions against transferring your assets with the intent of avoiding your legal obligations. Whenever any assets are transferred or re-titled for protection purposes, it is critical to focus on applicable “fraudulent conveyance” laws, which give creditors the ability to void certain asset transfers in order to satisfy a judgment. Asset protection planners must have a thorough understanding of fraudulent conveyance laws.

The Ohio Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (Chapter 1336 of the Ohio Revised Code) is fairly typical of the statutes found in most other states. An examination the statute reveals how broadly a fraudulent conveyance is defined. Whether a conveyance is “fraudulent” under Ohio Revised Code Section 1336.04 depends on a variety of factors, including the following:

1. Was the conveyance intended to hinder, delay, or defraud any creditor of the debtor?
2. If the transfer was as sale, did the debtor receive a reasonably equivalent value in exchange for the asset that was transferred?
3. Did the debtor know (or reasonably should have believed) that due to the transfer he would have debts beyond his ability to pay as they became due?

Whether a conveyance is “fraudulent” depends heavily on the “intent” of the person making the conveyance. Ohio Revised Code Section 1336.04 (B) says that in order to help determine that intent, consideration should be given to many different factors, including but not limited to:

1. Whether the transfer was to an insider (like a family member or partner);
2. Whether the debtor retained possession or control of the property transferred after the transfer;
3. Whether there was a lawsuit pending or threatened;
4. Whether the transfer made the debtor insolvent.

Whether or not a transfer is “fraudulent” is often a complicated issue that depends on a wide variety of factors. Other terms in the Ohio statute also frequently raise complicated questions. Debtors and creditors frequently argue about whether an asset was “transferred” at all. The term “transfer” is defined very broadly in Ohio Revised Code Section 1336.01(L) to include a direct or indirect, absolute or conditional, voluntary or involuntary method of disposing of an asset or an interest in an asset. The term “transfer” includes the payment of money, a release, a lease, creation of lien or other encumbrance. Exactly when a transfer occurs can be very important and may determine whether or not a creditor can reach a particular asset.   

Each state has its own fraudulent conveyance statutes. The Ohio statute discussed here is typical, but each applicable state law must be reviewed separately.

Fraudulent conveyance statutes do not make asset protection planning impossible. They are intended only to prevent improper transfers.  

In addition to the specific provisions of Ohio Revise Code Section 1336.04 (and/or any other applicable statute), debtors must also consider how certain transfers may be perceived by a judge who may try to “do justice” notwithstanding the words of the statute. 

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