§ 486.060.Checks Issued By Defendant Against Defendant's Accounts

A property freeze that stopped a business from meeting payroll or paying its lawyers would do more damage than the underlying claim ever could. Section 486.060 keeps four categories of payment open regardless of the order's terms, in any amount: payroll expenses (including fringe benefits and taxes and workers' compensation and unemployment premiums) that fall due in the ordinary course of business before a writ is levied, payment for goods delivered C.O.D. for the defendant's trade, business, or profession, tax payments necessary to avoid penalties from further delay, and reasonable legal fees, costs, and expenses for defending the action.

Beyond those four categories, the defendant can still write checks for any purpose, but only up to a cap. The cap is the greater of two figures: the amount by which the total on deposit exceeds the sum of the amount the attachment seeks to secure plus whatever has already gone out under the four protected categories, or one thousand dollars. Whichever of those two numbers is larger sets the limit.