Bocanegra v. Gonzalez

Nebraska Supreme Court Online Library www.nebraska.gov/apps-courts-epub/ 07/10/2026 08:08 AM CDT - 738 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 Yessica Nicol Dawnna Bocanegra, appellant, v. Alfonso Rosales Gonzalez and Ema Gonzalez, appellees, and Viking Insurance Company of Wisconsin, garnishee-appellee. ___ N.W.3d ___ Filed July 10, 2026. No. S-24-920. 1. Garnishment: Appeal and Error. Garnishment is a legal proceeding. To the extent factual issues are involved, the findings of the fact finder will not be set aside on appeal unless clearly wrong; however, to the extent issues of law are presented, an appellate court has an obligation to reach independent conclusions irrespective of the determinations made by the court below. 2. Jurisdiction. Subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law. 3. Judgments: Jurisdiction: Appeal and Error. A jurisdictional issue that does not involve a factual dispute presents a question of law, which an appellate court independently decides. 4. Jurisdiction: Appeal and Error. Before reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the duty of an appellate court to determine whether it has jurisdiction over the matter before it. 5. ____: ____. An appellate court must consider whether the court from which the appeal was taken had jurisdiction, because if it did not, then the appellate court acquires no jurisdiction. 6. Jurisdiction. Questions regarding a court’s subject matter jurisdic- tion must be resolved as a threshold matter before an examination of the merits. 7. Jurisdiction: Words and Phrases. Subject matter jurisdiction is the power of a tribunal to hear and determine a case in the general class or category to which the proceedings in question belong and to deal with the general subject matter involved. 8. Jurisdiction. The question of a court’s subject matter jurisdiction does not turn solely on the court’s authority to hear a certain class of cases. It also involves determining whether a court has authority to address a  - 739 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 particular question that it assumes to decide or to grant the particular relief requested. 9. Standing: Jurisdiction: Parties. The requirement of standing is fun- damental to a court’s exercise of subject matter jurisdiction, and only a party who has standing may invoke the jurisdiction of a court. 10. Judgments: Debtors and Creditors: Garnishment. Garnishment in aid of execution is a method by which a judgment creditor can recover against a third party for the debt owed by a judgment debtor. 11. ____: ____: ____. Garnishment in aid of execution is, in effect, an action by a judgment debtor in the garnishor’s name against the garnishee. 12. Garnishment: Liability: Service of Process: Time. A garnishee’s liability is to be determined as of the time the garnishment summons is served. 13. Judgments: Debtors and Creditors: Garnishment: Liability: Proof. In an action to determine the liability of the garnishee, the judgment creditor has the burden to establish that the garnishee was liable to the judgment debtor at the time notice of garnishment was served. 14. Judgments: Debtors and Creditors: Garnishment. As a general prin- ciple, the claim of a judgment creditor against a garnishee can rise no higher than the claim of the judgment debtor against the garnishee. 15. Judgments: Debtors and Creditors: Garnishment: Subrogation. A garnishor is subrogated to the rights of the judgment debtor and can recover only by the same right and to the same extent that the judgment debtor might recover from the garnishee. 16. Judgments: Garnishment: Liability: Service of Process: Time. When determining the liability of a garnishee, the test is whether, at the time the summons in garnishment was served, the facts would support a recovery by the judgment debtor against the garnishee. 17. Garnishment. Garnishment is a legal, not equitable, remedy unknown at common law and is a purely statutory remedy. 18. Garnishment: Statutes: Legislature. Because garnishment is a crea- ture of statute, garnishment proceedings are necessarily governed by statutory provisions and specifications. Courts may not allow garnish- ment proceedings to follow any course other than that charted by the Legislature. 19. Insurance: Contracts: Reformation: Equity. Reformation of an insur- ance policy is an equitable remedy. 20. Actions: Reformation. As a general rule, reformation of written instru- ments may be had by the immediate parties thereto and by those stand- ing in privity with them, but a person not a party or privy to the transac- tion may not maintain the action.  - 740 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 21. Insurance: Tort-feasors: Liability: Actions. Nebraska recognizes the general rule that there is no privity between an injured person and the tort-feasor’s liability insurer. For this reason, Nebraska does not per- mit an injured person to bring direct actions against the tort-feasor’s lia- bility insurer. 22. Rules of the Supreme Court: Appeal and Error. A party wishing to secure appellate review of a cross-appeal must comply with the appel- late briefing rules. 23. ____: ____. When a brief of an appellee fails to present a cross-appeal that conforms to the requirements of Neb. Ct. R. App. P. § 2-109(D) (rev. 2025), an appellate court can decline to consider the cross-appeal or may elect to review the proceedings for plain error. Appeal from the District Court for Hamilton County: Rachel A. Daugherty, Judge. Affirmed in part, and in part vacated and set aside. John C. Fowles, of The Fowles Law Office, P.C., L.L.O., for appellant. Matthew D. Hammes and Maggie E. Frei, of Locher Pavelka Dostal Braddy & Hammes, L.L.C., for garnishee-appellee. Funke, C.J., Cassel, Stacy, Papik, Freudenberg, Bergevin, JJ., and Post, District Judge. Per Curiam. After being awarded a judgment for over $1 million for injuries sustained in an automobile accident, the plaintiff commenced garnishment proceedings against the defendant’s purported liability insurer. The insurer denied garnishee liabil- ity and attached a copy of a declaratory judgment holding that its policy did not afford coverage to the defendant for the accident. The plaintiff filed an application to determine garnishee liability, alleging she was not bound by the declara- tory judgment action. The garnishment court agreed and, over the insurer’s objection, permitted the plaintiff to litigate the availability of coverage during the trial to determine garnishee liability. Ultimately, the garnishment court determined that the  - 741 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 policy did not afford liability coverage to the defendant, and it denied the plaintiff’s request to reform the policy to provide such coverage. The court entered a judgment discharging the garnishee from liability. The plaintiff appeals, challenging only the garnishment court’s denial of her request to reform the policy. For reasons we will explain, we conclude the garnishment court lacked jurisdiction to consider the merits of the plaintiff’s request to reform the policy, so we vacate that portion of the judgment and otherwise affirm the judgment of discharge. I. BACKGROUND 1. Negligence Action in Hamilton County In 2021, Yessica Nicol Dawnna Bocanegra was seriously injured when her vehicle was struck by a Chevrolet Suburban operated by Alfonso Rosales Gonzalez (Gonzalez) and regis- tered to Gonzalez’ mother. In 2022, Bocanegra filed this negligence action against Gonzalez and his mother in the district court for Hamilton County, seeking damages caused by the accident. Bocanegra settled her claim against Gonzalez’ mother for $250,000, and her claim against Gonzalez proceeded to trial. In April 2024, the district court entered judgment in favor of Bocanegra and against Gonzalez in the amount of $1,100,000, plus costs and interest. 2. Declaratory Judgment Action in Hall County In 2022, shortly before Bocanegra commenced the neg- ligence action at issue in this appeal, Viking Insurance Company of Wisconsin (Viking) filed a declaratory judgment action in the district court for Hall County seeking a dec- laration of noncoverage under policy No. 11407230795 for any liability arising out of the accident between Bocanegra and Gonzalez. Viking named Gonzalez’ mother and father as defendants, alleging they were the named insureds on the  - 742 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 automobile liability policy. Viking also named Bocanegra and Gonzalez as defendants, alleging “their interests may be affected by the declaration sought.” Bocanegra moved to be dismissed as a party from the declaratory judgment action under the holding in Medical Protective Co. v. Schrein. 1 In Medical Protective Co., we held that in declaratory judgment actions between tort-feasors and their liability insurers, a trial court errs by exercising jurisdic- tion over injured claimants, and that in such actions, the insurer may not “obtain a declaration of noncoverage that is bind- ing against an injured person in a later action.” 2 Relying on Medical Protective Co., the district court granted Bocanegra’s motion to dismiss and the declaratory judgment action pro- ceeded to judgment against the remaining defendants. The declaratory judgment, entered in January 2023, held that Viking policy No. 11407230795 afforded no coverage to Gonzalez or his parents “for any matters, claims, injuries or damages arising out of the accident occurring on August 28, 2021, and which is the subject of [Bocanegra’s] lawsuit appearing in the District Court of Hamilton [County.]” There is no indication in our record that any party appealed the declara- tory judgment. 3. Garnishment Proceeding In May 2024, approximately 1 month after Bocanegra obtained the judgment against Gonzalez in the negligence action, Bocanegra commenced a garnishment in aid of execu- tion against Viking. Bocanegra’s affidavit and praecipe for summons alleged that she had a judgment against Gonzalez for $1,100,000, plus $5,525.62 in interest, and had reason to believe that Viking either had property belonging to or was indebted to Gonzalez under policy No. 11407230795. Viking timely responded to the garnishment interrogatories and answered that it did not have any property belonging to 1 Medical Protective Co. v. Schrein, 255 Neb. 24, 582 N.W.2d 286 (1998). 2 Id. at 28, 582 N.W.2d at 290.  - 743 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 Gonzalez and it was not indebted to him. Viking attached to its interrogatory answers a copy of the 2023 declaratory judg- ment holding that the Viking policy provided no coverage to Gonzalez for the accident with Bocanegra. Bocanegra filed a timely application to determine garnishee liability, controverting Viking’s claim that its policy afforded no coverage for Gonzalez’ negligence. In the application, Bocanegra claimed she was not bound by the 2023 declaratory judgment and was “entitled to her own independent determi- nation of [Viking’s] obligations” to Gonzalez under the policy. She asserted that the Viking policy provided liability cover- age to Gonzalez for the accident. Alternatively, she asserted that “any policy language that may exclude [Gonzalez] as an insured” should be reformed to provide such coverage. She alleged two theories to support her request for reformation, which we summarize later in the opinion. In response to the application, Viking filed what it titled a “Motion to Strike, Motion to Quash and Resistance to [Bocanegra’s] Application for Determination of Garnishee Liability.” Viking’s motion, which was not challenged on pro- cedural grounds, 3 reiterated Viking’s position that the declara- tory judgment conclusively established that the Viking policy did not provide liability coverage to Gonzalez for the auto- mobile accident at issue, and it asserted that the declaration of noncoverage was binding on Bocanegra because she had been a party defendant in the declaratory judgment action and voluntarily sought dismissal from that action. (a) Garnishment Trial Bocanegra’s application and Viking’s motion to strike/quash were consolidated and tried together. Both Gonzalez and his 3 See Torrison v. Overman, 250 Neb. 164, 172, 549 N.W.2d 124, 130 (1996) (holding that “in a garnishment proceeding, the answers to interrogatories and the application to determine garnishee liability are the only pleadings for disposition of the liability issue”), disapproved on other grounds, ML Manager v. Jensen, 287 Neb. 171, 842 N.W.2d 566 (2014).  - 744 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 mother testified, and the court received several exhibits, includ- ing a certified copy of the Viking policy in effect on the date of the accident and the key pleadings and orders entered in the 2023 declaratory judgment action. We summarize that evi- dence, and the trial court’s factual findings, only as necessary to address the issues on appeal. Viking policy No. 11407230795 was a “Named Driver” pol- icy that included a “Broad Form Named Driver Endorsement,” providing: We will pay damages for which you are legally liable because of bodily injury and/or property damage caused by a car accident arising out of your operation of your insured car by an insured person. We will not provide coverage for any liability arising out of the operation of your insured car by any other person who is not an insured person. The terms appearing in bold type are specifically defined in the policy. “You” and “Your” were defined to mean “the person(s) shown as the Named Insured on your Declarations Page.” The declarations page identified just two named insureds— Gonzalez’ mother and father. “Your insured car” was defined to mean either a “car owned or leased by you which you are operating,” a “car owned by you which is not being operated by any person,” or a “car not owned or leased by you which you are operating.” Viking argued that under the plain terms of the policy, there was no liability coverage for Gonzalez because he was not a named driver under the policy. Bocanegra did not strenuously contest Viking’s interpretation of the policy language; instead, she argued that Gonzalez was a permissive driver, and she asked the garnishment court to reform the Viking policy to cover not only named drivers, but also permissive drivers, under either of two theories. Her first theory was that any policy provision purporting to exclude permissive drivers was contrary to the provisions of Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-534 (Reissue 2021). Under § 60-534,  - 745 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 automobile liability policies used as proof of financial respon- sibility are required to designate “all motor vehicles with respect to which coverage” is being provided and are required to insure not only the “person named” in the policy but also “any other person . . . using [an insured motor vehicle] with the express or implied permission of such named insured.” Viking argued that the requirements of § 60-534 did not apply to policy No. 11407230795, because that policy was not certi- fied as proof of financial responsibility. Bocanegra’s second theory anticipated Viking’s argument, and she acknowledged that under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 60-561 (Reissue 2021), the requirements of § 60-534 do not apply “to any automobile liability policy which has not been certi- fied . . . as proof of financial responsibility.” But Bocanegra argued that to the extent § 60-561 rendered the provisions of § 60-534 inapplicable to the Viking policy, the garnishment court should find that § 60-561 was unconstitutional because it violated equal protection principles under both the U.S. and Nebraska Constitutions and was impermissible “special legislation” under the Nebraska Constitution. (b) Garnishment Judgment In an order entered November 18, 2024, the district court summarized the testimony adduced during the hearing and made several factual findings based on the testimony of Gonzalez and his mother. The court found that Gonzalez was operating the Suburban when it collided with Bocanegra’s vehicle, that the Suburban was registered to Gonzalez’ mother, that the mother was the person who obtained the Viking policy, and that Gonzalez “had taken the car without permission from his father’s house” on the day of the accident. These factual findings are not challenged on appeal. Turning to the parties’ dispute over coverage for Gonzalez’ negligence under the Viking policy, the court first addressed Viking’s argument that the 2023 declaratory judgment of non- coverage was binding on Bocanegra. The garnishment court  - 746 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 rejected that argument, noting that before the declaratory judg- ment was issued, Bocanegra had successfully requested to be dismissed as a party under the holding in Medical Protective Co. 4 Relying on the statement in Medical Protective Co. that an insurer’s “attempt to obtain a declaration of noncover- age that would be binding on an injured person in a later action is inappropriate, since more effective relief can and should be obtained in other proceedings,” 5 the garnishment court concluded that the 2023 declaration of noncoverage was not binding on Bocanegra. And relying on the sugges- tion in Medical Protective Co. that the insurer’s “assertions of noncoverage can be presented without any consequential harm to [the insurer] if or when any of the claimants seeks to garnish policy proceeds as a result of a judgment against [the tort-feasor],” 6 the garnishment court concluded that Bocanegra must be given an opportunity, in the garnishment proceeding, to prove her claim that the Viking policy provided liability coverage to Gonzalez for the accident. Regarding the question of coverage under the Viking policy, the garnishment court recounted the relevant policy provisions and concluded that Bocanegra’s coverage arguments were unavailing. The court reasoned that the language of the Viking policy unambiguously excluded “coverage for any liability arising out of the operation of [y]our insured car by any other person who is not an insured person” and concluded that because Gonzalez was not a named insured under the Viking policy, it provided no liability coverage to Gonzalez for the accident with Bocanegra. Finally, the garnishment court addressed Bocanegra’s request to reform the Viking policy to provide coverage for permissive drivers. In doing so, the court did not address whether it had authority in a garnishment proceeding to 4 Medical Protective Co., supra note 1. 5 Id. at 31, 582 N.W.2d at 291. 6 Id.  - 747 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 reform the policy, whether Bocanegra had standing to seek reformation of the policy, or whether Gonzalez could be con- sidered a permissive driver in light of the factual finding that he was using the Suburban without permission at the time of the accident. Instead, the garnishment court addressed the merits of Bocanegra’s reformation theories and concluded, as a matter of law, that the provisions of § 60-534 requiring coverage for permissive drivers did not apply to the Viking policy. That was so, the court reasoned, because under the express provisions of § 60-561, the requirements of § 60-534 do not apply to automobile policies that have not been cer- tified as proof of financial responsibility under the Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Act, 7 and Bocanegra had pro- duced “no evidence” that the Viking policy was so certified. The garnishment court also rejected both of Bocanegra’s con- stitutional challenges to § 60-561, reasoning that she failed to meet her burden of proof. Bocanegra filed this appeal, along with a notice of a con- stitutional question pursuant to Neb. Ct. R. App. P. § 2-109(E) (rev. 2024). We moved the appeal to our docket. II. ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR On appeal, Bocanegra assigns multiple errors, but does not challenge the district court’s determination that the Viking pol- icy excluded liability coverage for Gonzalez because he was not a named driver. Instead, consolidated and restated, she assigns that the garnishment court erred in refusing to “reform” 8 the Viking policy to provide liability coverage to Gonzalez under the theory that he was a permissive driver. 7 See, e.g., Allied Mut. Ins. Co. v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 243 Neb. 779, 502 N.W.2d 484 (1993); National Am. Ins. Co. v. Continental Western Ins. Co., 243 Neb. 766, 502 N.W.2d 817 (1993), disapproved on other grounds, McGill v. Lion Place Condo. Assn., 291 Neb. 70, 864 N.W.2d 642 (2015); State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Hildebrand, 243 Neb. 743, 502 N.W.2d 469 (1993). 8 Brief for appellant at 16.  - 748 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 Viking attempts to cross-appeal, challenging the garnish- ment court’s determination that Medical Protective Co. 9 allowed Bocanegra to litigate the issue of coverage in the gar- nishment proceeding despite the prior Hall County declara- tory judgment. III. STANDARD OF REVIEW [1] Garnishment is a legal proceeding. 10 To the extent fac- tual issues are involved, the findings of the fact finder will not be set aside on appeal unless clearly wrong; however, to the extent issues of law are presented, an appellate court has an obligation to reach independent conclusions irrespective of the determinations made by the court below. 11 [2,3] Subject matter jurisdiction is a question of law. 12 A jurisdictional issue that does not involve a factual dispute presents a question of law, which an appellate court indepen- dently decides. 13 IV. ANALYSIS [4,5] Before reaching the legal issues presented for review, it is the duty of an appellate court to determine whether it has jurisdiction over the matter before it. 14 This obligation requires appellate courts to consider whether the court from which the appeal was taken had jurisdiction, because if it did not, then the appellate court acquires no jurisdiction. 15 [6] Although the practice is not expressly authorized by the statutes governing garnishment in aid of execution, Nebraska 9 Medical Protective Co., supra note 1. 10 Florence Lake Investments v. Berg, 312 Neb. 183, 978 N.W.2d 308 (2022). 11 Id. 12 Joshua M. v. State, 316 Neb. 446, 5 N.W.3d 454 (2024). 13 Powers v. Board of Directors of Elmwood Tower, 320 Neb. 906, 31 N.W.3d 599 (2026). 14 Id.; Castillo v. Libert Land Holdings 4, 316 Neb. 287, 4 N.W.3d 377 (2024). 15 Powers, supra note 13.  - 749 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 case law has long permitted judgment creditors to use gar- nishment proceedings in aid of execution as a vehicle for determining whether a garnishee’s insurance policy provides coverage to the judgment debtor. 16 Consistent with that prec- edent, Bocanegra used garnishment in aid of execution to obtain a judicial determination of whether the Viking policy provided liability coverage to Gonzalez, but on appeal, she does not challenge the garnishment court’s determination of noncoverage. Instead, she challenges only the garnishment court’s refusal to reform the Viking policy to include cover- age for permissive drivers, which she contends is required under § 60-534. The parties have not questioned either the garnishment court’s authority to reform the Viking insurance policy or Bocanegra’s standing to seek such relief. But these are jurisdictional questions this court cannot ignore, because questions regarding a court’s subject matter jurisdiction must be resolved as a threshold matter before an examination of the merits. 17 [7-9] Subject matter jurisdiction is the power of a tribunal to hear and determine a case in the general class or category to which the proceedings in question belong and to deal with the general subject matter involved. 18 The question of a court’s subject matter jurisdiction does not turn solely on the court’s authority to hear a certain class of cases. It also involves determining whether a court has authority to address a particular question that it assumes to decide or to grant 16 See, e.g., Fokken v. Steichen, 274 Neb. 743, 744 N.W.2d 34 (2008); R.W. v. Schrein, 263 Neb. 708, 642 N.W.2d 505 (2002), modified on rehearing 264 Neb. 818, 652 N.W.2d 574; Farr v. Designer Phosphate & Premix Internat., 253 Neb. 201, 570 N.W.2d 320 (1997); Torrison, supra note 3; Barry v. Tanner, 250 Neb. 116, 547 N.W.2d 730 (1996); Hiway 20 Terminal, Inc. v. Tri-County Agri-Supply, Inc., 235 Neb. 207, 454 N.W.2d 671 (1990); Bisgard v. Johnson, 3 Neb. App. 198, 525 N.W.2d 225 (1994). 17 See Joshua M., supra note 12. 18 Davis v. Moats, 308 Neb. 757, 956 N.W.2d 682 (2021).  - 750 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 the particular relief requested. 19 The requirement of stand- ing is fundamental to a court’s exercise of subject matter jurisdiction, 20 and only a party who has standing may invoke the jurisdiction of a court. 21 These jurisdictional principles compel us to answer two threshold questions before considering Bocanegra’s conten- tion that the garnishment court erred in refusing to reform the Viking policy. First, we must consider whether, in a pro- ceeding to determine garnishee liability under an insurance policy, the garnishment court has subject matter jurisdiction to entertain requests to reform the subject policy. Second, we must consider whether one who is not a party to an insurance contract has standing to seek reformation of the policy. To answer these questions, we first review the general nature of garnishment proceedings, we then consider the general nature of actions to reform insurance policies, and, finally, we con- sider issues of standing. 1. Garnishment in Aid of Execution [10,11] Garnishment in aid of execution is a method by which a judgment creditor can recover against a third party for the debt owed by a judgment debtor. 22 Such a proceeding is, in effect, an action by a judgment debtor in the garnishor’s name against the garnishee. 23 [12,13] Under the garnishment statutes, a garnishee is liable to the judgment creditor if it “shall appear upon the trial of the liability of the garnishee that the garnishee was (1) indebted to the defendant, or (2) had any property or credits 19 In re Interest of Trey H., 281 Neb. 760, 798 N.W.2d 607 (2011). 20 See Hawley v. Skradski, 304 Neb. 488, 935 N.W.2d 212 (2019). 21 See, e.g., State v. McKinney, ante p. 172, 33 N.W.3d 430 (2026); Nebraska Firearms Owners Assn. v. City of Lincoln, 319 Neb. 723, 24 N.W.3d 891 (2025). 22 See Florence Lake Investments, supra note 10. 23 See id.  - 751 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 of the defendant, in his possession or under his control at the time of being served with the notice of garnishment.” 24 As such, a garnishee’s liability is to be determined as of the time the garnishment summons is served. 25 And in an action to determine the liability of the garnishee, the judgment credi- tor has the burden to establish that the garnishee was liable to the judgment debtor at the time notice of garnishment was served. 26 [14-16] As a general principle, the claim of a judgment cred- itor against a garnishee can rise no higher than the claim of the judgment debtor against the garnishee. 27 We have said that “[a] garnishor is subrogated to the rights of the judgment debtor and can recover only by the same right and to the same extent that the judgment debtor might recover from the garnishee.” 28 Accordingly, when determining the liability of a garnishee, the test is whether, at the time the summons in garnishment was served, the facts would support a recovery by the judgment debtor against the garnishee. 29 [17,18] We have long recognized that garnishment is a “legal, not equitable, remedy unknown at common law and is a purely statutory remedy.” 30 Because garnishment is a creature 24 See Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1030.02 (Reissue 2016) (emphasis supplied). 25 Florence Lake Investments, supra note 10. 26 See, Huntington v. Pedersen, 294 Neb. 294, 883 N.W.2d 48 (2016); Gerdes v. Klindt, 253 Neb. 260, 570 N.W.2d 336 (1997). 27 See, Davis Erection Co. v. Jorgensen, 248 Neb. 297, 534 N.W.2d 746 (1995); Action Heating & Air Cond. v. Petersen, 229 Neb. 796, 429 N.W.2d 1 (1988). 28 Florence Lake Investments, supra note 10, 312 Neb. at 198, 978 N.W.2d at 322. 29 See Florence Lake Investments, supra note 10. 30 Spaghetti Ltd. Partnership v. Wolfe, 264 Neb. 365, 369, 647 N.W.2d 615, 620 (2002), disapproved on other grounds, ML Manager v. Jensen, supra note 3. See NC + Hybrids v. Growers Seed Assn., 219 Neb. 296, 363 N.W.2d 362 (1985), disapproved on other grounds, ML Manager, supra note 3.  - 752 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 of statute, garnishment proceedings are necessarily governed by statutory provisions and specifications, and “[c]ourts may not allow garnishment proceedings to follow any course other than that charted by the Legislature.” 31 2. Reformation of Insurance Contracts [19] In contrast to the purely statutory, legal remedy of garnishment in aid of execution, reformation of an insurance policy is an equitable remedy. 32 Nebraska law has recognized the power of a court sitting in equity to reform an insurance policy to correct a mutual mistake, 33 to correct a unilateral mistake caused by the fraud or inequitable conduct, 34 to correct an agent’s misrepresentation, 35 and to include an omitted term previously agreed to. 36 Bocanegra did not seek reformation on any of these grounds. Instead, she asked that the Viking policy be reformed because it failed to conform to the requirements of § 60-534 and thus violated public policy. Although it is generally permissible for one who is a party to an insurance contract to seek the equitable relief of reformation on the ground the policy fails 31 Spaghetti Ltd. Partnership, supra note 30, 264 Neb. at 370, 647 N.W.2d at 620. 32 See, Continental Cas. Co. v. Calinger, 265 Neb. 557, 657 N.W.2d 925 (2003); Parry v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 191 Neb. 628, 216 N.W.2d 875 (1974); Central Granaries Co. v. Nebraska L. M. Ins. Ass’n, 106 Neb. 80, 182 N.W. 582 (1921); Wahoo Locker v. Farm Bureau Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., 24 Neb. App. 144, 885 N.W.2d 731 (2016). 33 See, e.g., Continental Cas. Co., supra note 32; Central Granaries Co., supra note 32. 34 See, Jelsma v. Acceptance Ins. Co., 233 Neb. 556, 446 N.W.2d 725 (1989); Ridenour v. Farm Bureau Ins. Co., 221 Neb. 353, 377 N.W.2d 101 (1985). 35 See, e.g., Flamme v. Wolf Ins. Agency, 239 Neb. 465, 476 N.W.2d 802 (1991); Heikes v. Farm Bureau Ins. Co., 181 Neb. 827, 151 N.W.2d 336 (1967). 36 See, e.g., Jelsma, supra note 34; Mogil v. Maryland Casualty Co., 147 Neb. 1087, 26 N.W.2d 126 (1947); Davis v. Highway Motor Underwriters, 120 Neb. 734, 235 N.W. 325 (1931).  - 753 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 to conform to an applicable statute, 37 there are several reasons why the garnishment court here lacked jurisdiction to consider Bocanegra’s request to reform the Viking policy. We address each reason in turn. 3. Garnishment Court Lacked Jurisdiction Over Bocanegra’s Request to Reform Viking Policy Because garnishment in aid of execution is a purely statu- tory legal remedy and not an equitable remedy, 38 we question whether there are any circumstances under which a garnish- ment court, in a proceeding to determine garnishee liability under an insurance contract, would have subject matter juris- diction to consider an equitable claim to reform the insur- ance policy. We are not aware of any statute that authorizes a garnishment court to grant equitable relief when determining garnishee liability, and the parties do not direct us to any. Moreover, because a garnishee’s liability must be determined at the time the garnishment summons is served, we are skepti- cal that a garnishment court could ever premise a finding of garnishee liability on an insurance policy that was equitably reformed after service of the garnishment summons. But even assuming for the sake of argument that there could be a circumstance under which a district court with gen- eral equity jurisdiction, 39 sitting as a fact finder to determine 37 See, e.g., National Am. Ins. Co., supra note 7. See, also, 2 Steven Plitt et al., Couch on Insurance 3d § 26:1 at 26-9 (2024) (where policy terms violate applicable statutory provision, “reformation is required so as to assure that the coverage will meet statutorily prescribed minimums”). 38 See, ML Manager, supra note 3; J.K. v. Kolbeck, 257 Neb. 107, 595 N.W.2d 875 (1999), disapproved on other grounds, ML Manager, supra note 3; Otoe Cty. Nat. Bank v. Froelich, 234 Neb. 1, 448 N.W.2d 917 (1989). 39 See, Neb. Const. art. V, § 9 (conferring both chancery and common law jurisdiction on district courts); Webb v. Nebraska Dept. of Health & Human Servs., 301 Neb. 810, 828-29, 920 N.W.2d 268, 282 (2018) (noting “the Legislature cannot limit or control the common law and equity jurisdiction granted to the district court by the constitution”).  - 754 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 garnishee liability under an insurance contract, might also have subject matter jurisdiction to reform the contract, we are confident the instant appeal does not present such a circumstance. To explain why, we turn to the jurisdictional issue of Bocanegra’s standing to seek reformation of the Viking policy. [20] Although it can be assumed that either Viking or its insureds would have standing to seek reformation of the insurance policy in a proper proceeding, we are aware of no circumstance under which Bocanegra, as a stranger to the insurance agreement, would acquire such standing. As a gen- eral rule, reformation of written instruments may be had by the immediate parties thereto and by those standing in privity with them, but a person not a party or privy to the transac- tion may not maintain the action. 40 And as we explain next, Bocanegra was not a party to the insurance contract, and there was no evidence that she stood in privity with any party to the contract. [21] Nebraska recognizes the general rule that there is no privity between an injured person and the tort-feasor’s liability insurer. 41 For this reason, Nebraska does not permit an injured person to bring direct actions against the tort-feasor’s liabil- ity insurer. 42 Moreover, “[t]his court has never held that an injured person is a third-party beneficiary of a liability insur- ance policy insuring the tort-feasor.” 43 Because Bocanegra was not a party to the insurance contract, did not stand in privity with any party to the insurance contract, and cannot claim to be a third-party beneficiary under the contract, she lacked standing to seek reformation of the policy. 40 See Schlake v. Jacobsen, 246 Neb. 921, 524 N.W.2d 316 (1994). 41 See, Molina v. American Alternative Ins. Corp., 270 Neb. 218, 699 N.W.2d 415 (2005); Medical Protective Co., supra note 1; West Neb. Gen. Hosp. v. Farmers Ins. Exch., 239 Neb. 281, 475 N.W.2d 901 (1991). 42 See id. 43 Molina, supra note 41, 270 Neb. at 223, 699 N.W.2d at 419.  - 755 - Nebraska Supreme Court Advance Sheets 321 Nebraska Reports BOCANEGRA v. GONZALEZ Cite as 321 Neb. 738 As such, although the garnishment court plainly had sub- ject matter jurisdiction to d