Dee Ella Lee v. Roderick Paige, Secretary of the Department of Education

Roderick Paige, Secretary of the United States Department of Education, appeals from a grant of summary judgment entered in favor of Dee Ella Lee, contending that the district court 1 incorrectly barred the department from garnishing Ms. Lee’s social security benefits on account of her outstanding student loans. We affirm.

Ms. Lee defaulted on two student loans in 1984. The Department of Education took assignment of the loans in the late 1980’s and has sought repayment ever since. In October, 2001, the government began'withholding a portion of Ms. Lee’s social security benefits, applying the…