Section 135. No such policy, or the proceeds thereof when paid to any employee or employees thereunder, or to their beneficiaries, shall be liable to attachment, trustee process or other process, or to be seized, taken, appropriated or applied by any legal or equitable process or operation of law to pay any debt or liabilities of such employee or his beneficiary or any other person having right thereunder either before or after payment; nor shall the proceeds thereof, when not made payable to any beneficiary, constitute a part of the estate of the employee for the payment of his debts.

Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws ch. 175 sec. 135

  • Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Liabilities: The aggregate of all debts and other legal obligations of a particular person or legal entity.
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.

Nothing in this section shall prevent an employee’s benefits from being attached, seized, taken, appropriated, assigned, or applied by any legal or equitable process or operation of law to satisfy a support order under chapter two hundred and eight, two hundred and nine, or two hundred and seventy-three.

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