[uh-tach-muh
nt] 
| 1. | an act of attaching or the state of being attached. |
| 2. | a feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal, or the like; devotion; regard: a fond attachment to his cousin; a profound attachment to the cause of peace. |
| 3. | something that attaches; a fastening or tie: the attachments of a harness; the attachments of a pair of skis. |
| 4. | an additional or supplementary device: attachments for an electric drill. |
| 5. | Law. seizure of property or person by legal authority, esp. seizure of a defendant's property to prevent its dissipation before trial or to acquire jurisdiction over it. |
| 6. | something attached, as a document added to a letter. |
| at·tach·ment (ə-tāch'mənt) n.
|
Attachment
A legal term referring to the action of seizing property in anticipation of a favorable ruling for a plaintiff who claims to be owed money by the defendant.
Investopedia Commentary
This is a preliminary procedure, meaning that property is seized before a final ruling is delivered. The seizure may prove unwarranted if the court rules in favor of the defendant.
Often real estate, vehicles and bank accounts are seized under these circumstances. A judge will seize such property when there is a good chance that the plaintiff will win the case and a high probability that the defendant will flee and not pay a court ordered settlement. However, if the attachment proves to have been unnecessary, the court must pay the defendant a bond to cover any damages the seizure caused.
See also: Judgment
attachment
in U.S. law, a writ issuing from a court of law to seize the person or property of a defendant. In several of the older states in the United States, attachments against property are issued at the commencement of suits in order to secure any judgment that may be entered for the plaintiff. In other states, attachments before a judgment are issued only against the property of nonresidents or upon specific statutory grounds relating to fraud or the like. In such cases, the plaintiff is commonly required to post an indemnity bond. An attachment may also be issued after a judgment, the term frequently being used to designate a levy upon a bank account, wages, or other intangible assets of the debtor. See also garnishment.
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