TBA Credit Union v. Giem

**TBA Credit Union v. Giem: Court Orders Tribal Court to Allow Wage Garnishment** This case involved a dispute over whether a tribal court had to honor a state court's debt judgment. TBA Credit Union had won a $10,400.61 judgment against Giem in state court for an unpaid car loan. When the credit union tried to collect this debt by garnishing Giem's wages at Odawa Casino Resort, the tribal court initially refused to recognize the state court's judgment. The appellate court reversed this decision, ruling that the tribal court must give "full faith and credit" to the state court's judgment. This means the tribal court was required to treat the state court's ruling as valid and allow the wage garnishment to proceed. The court ordered that Giem's employer could deduct money from his paychecks to pay the debt. **What this means for workers:** If you work for a tribal employer but have debts resolved in state court, those judgments can still be enforced against your wages. Working on tribal land doesn't automatically protect you from wage garnishment for legitimate debts. Courts will generally honor valid judgments from other jurisdictions, meaning creditors can pursue collection regardless of where you work.