Section 18-4-93. Right of defendant to become a party to garnishment proceedings; procedure

   A garnishment proceeding is an action between the plaintiff and the garnishee; but, at any time before a judgment is entered on the garnishee's answer or before money or other property subject to garnishment is distributed, the defendant may become a party to the garnishment for the purposes set out in Code Section 18-4-65 by filing a traverse to the plaintiff's affidavit stating that the affidavit is untrue or legally insufficient; and he shall be a party to all proceedings thereafter. Upon the filing of the defendant's traverse, and at the defendant's application therefor, a judge of the court in which the case is pending shall order a hearing to be held not more than ten days from the date the traverse is filed. The hearing shall be available to the defendant as a matter of right after filing his traverse; and no further summons of garnishment may issue nor may any money or other property delivered to the court as subject to garnishment be disbursed until the hearing shall be held.

Code 1933, § 46-401, enacted by Ga. L. 1976, p. 1608, § 1.