A judgement has been filed against me from a hospital and they have attached my wages at 25%, which will make it impossible to pay my mortgage and other living expenses. At the advise of an attorney, I filled out the modification and now I have a court date in 2 weeks. I need to know important do's and don'ts as I will be representing myself. I have listed my mortgage payments, problems having to modify that which was just granted and other misc expenses that I need to maintain my home (ie water, electricity, fuel-heat & hot water, telephone) and transportation to work, etc. How can I properly defend myself in this modification to an amount that I can live with and I can still pay off the debt?

First, you should be sure you know the law in Connecticut regarding what the court is permitted to do to reduce the amount that is taken from your pay. One of us may be able to find it for you, but that is one thing you need to go by.

And, of course, be sure to bring with you documentation on all of your expenses you have described.

This site should help: Wage, Salary, Paycheck Garnishments and Attachments | Connecticut Network for Legal Aid (http://ctlawhelp.org/guide-to-wage-attachments)

One of the keys is that you should be left with 40x the minimum after the garnishment. Which is $330/wk.