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Harriet owns a home in Cheyenne and claims Wyoming's homestead exemption. She later defaults on a personal credit card debt of $35,000, and the credit card company obtains a judgment against her. Her home equity is currently $22,000. What is the maximum amount the creditor can force Harriet to pay from her home equity under Wyoming's homestead exemption law?

Correct Answer

C) $2,000, because only the equity exceeding the $20,000 homestead exemption is available to unsecured creditors.

Wyoming's homestead exemption protects up to $20,000 of equity in a primary residence from unsecured creditors. Harriet's home equity is $22,000. The first $20,000 is exempt, leaving $2,000 of equity exposed to the unsecured credit card judgment. The creditor can only reach the $2,000 above the exemption threshold.

Answer Options
A
Nothing, because the full $22,000 equity is protected by Wyoming's $20,000 homestead exemption and the creditor's claim exceeds the unprotected equity.
B
The full $22,000, because a court judgment overrides the homestead exemption for all unsecured debts.
C
$2,000, because only the equity exceeding the $20,000 homestead exemption is available to unsecured creditors.
D
$20,000, because the homestead exemption protects creditors up to that amount and the remainder is forfeit.

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Related Topics & Key Terms

Key Terms:

homestead_exemptionwyoming_20000unsecured_creditorsownership_typesequity_protection

Related Concepts

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