Bragunier Masonry, a subcontractor, won a judgment against a general contractor (Crough, Inc.) for unpaid work on one project. When Crough couldn't pay, Bragunier tried to garnish funds the university owed Crough for a different project where Bragunier never worked. Maryland's highest court ruled against Bragunier, holding that a creditor in garnishment can only recover what the original debtor could have recovered, and the claim was time-barred because the underlying debt's statute of limitations had expired.
You cannot garnish a customer's payments to your contractor for unrelated projects—you can only reach funds tied to the specific work you performed.
Garnishment claims are subject to the same statute of limitations as the original debt; waiting too long to pursue collection kills your garnishment rights.