A. The right of an individual to a pension, to a refund of accumulated member contributions, to the pension itself or to any other right accrued or accruing to any individual, and the monies and assets of the retirement plan, are not subject to execution, garnishment, attachment, the operation of bankruptcy or insolvency law or other process of law except a qualified domestic relations order and are unassignable except as may be otherwise specifically provided.

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 38-897

  • Accumulated member contributions: means for each member the sum of the amount of all the member's contributions deducted from the member's salary and paid to the fund, plus member contributions transferred to the fund by another retirement plan covering public employees of this state, plus previously withdrawn accumulated member contributions that are repaid to the fund in accordance with this article, minus any benefits paid to or on behalf of a member. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Action: includes any matter or proceeding in a court, civil or criminal. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • Board: means the board of trustees of the public safety personnel retirement system. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Domestic relations order: means an order of a court of this state that is made pursuant to the domestic relations laws of this state and that creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee's right to, or assigns to an alternate payee the right to, receive a portion of the benefits payable to a participant. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Employee: means a person employed by a participating employer in a designated position. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Fund: means the corrections officer retirement plan fund. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
  • including: means not limited to and is not a term of exclusion. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Pension: means a series of monthly payments by the retirement plan but does not include an annuity that is payable pursuant to section 38-911. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • plan: means the corrections officer retirement plan established by this article. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Process: means a citation, writ or summons issued in the course of judicial proceedings. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Property: includes both real and personal property. See Arizona Laws 1-215
  • Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
  • Retired member: means an individual who terminates employment and who is receiving a pension pursuant to either section 38-885 or 38-886. See Arizona Laws 38-881
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
  • Writ: means an order or precept in writing issued in the name of the state or by a court or judicial officer. See Arizona Laws 1-215

B. Any attempt to anticipate, alienate, sell, transfer, assign, pledge, encumber, charge or otherwise dispose of any right provided in subsection A is void. The fund is not liable in any manner for or subject to the debts, contracts, liabilities, engagements or torts of any person entitled to these rights.

C. This section does not exempt employee benefits of any kind from a writ of attachment, a writ of execution, a writ of garnishment and orders of assignment issued by a court of record as the result of a judgment for arrearages of child support or for child support debt.

D. A person who defrauds the plan or who takes, converts, steals or embezzles monies owned by or from the plan and who fails or refuses to return the monies to the plan on the board‘s written request is subject to civil suit by the plan in the superior court in Maricopa county. On entry of an order finding the person has defrauded the plan or taken, converted, stolen or embezzled monies owned by or from the plan, the court shall enter an order against that person and for the plan awarding the plan all of its costs and expenses of any kind, including attorney fees, that were necessary to successfully prosecute the action. The court shall also grant the plan a judicial lien on all of the nonexempt property of the person against whom judgment is entered pursuant to this subsection in an amount equal to all amounts awarded to the plan, plus interest at the rate prescribed by section 44-1201, until all amounts owed are paid to the plan.

E. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the board may offset against any benefits otherwise payable by the plan to an active or retired member or survivor any court ordered amounts awarded to the board and plan and assessed against the member or survivor.

 

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