what happens if my kids father hires a lawyer to fight child support court

by Mr. Terrill Kassulke I 3 min read

How can a lawyer help with child support?

Jun 22, 2011 · This week, the US Supreme Court handed down a decision in Turner v. Rogers, a case involving a non-custodial parent who was jailed for nonpayment of child support. Failure to pay child support is a violation of a court order to pay, and is thus handled as a civil contempt of court case. A finding of civil contempt in these cases is predicated ...

Can a father go to jail for not paying child support?

May 18, 2020 · You may choose to hire a child support attorney to help you address their lack of financial responsibility or you may consider applying for child support services through a state agency. A delinquent obligor parent may face a variety of consequences in a child support case, including contempt-of-court charges and civil penalties, or even criminal sanctions like a fine …

Why should I hire a lawyer to handle my child custody case?

Courts will take the backing down of the father as a sign that they do not want custody, regardless of the father’s actual feelings. Make sure you continue to work with your attorney for fathers rights and be present at all hearings to show the judge you are invested in having custody of your child.

What do judges expect parents to do about child support?

Jan 30, 2015 · 6 Things You Should Know Before Going to Child Support Court. 1.30.15 In: Family Law. 1. MATH DETERMINES THE CHILD SUPPORT AMOUNT IN MOST CASES, NOT HARD LUCK STORIES. The legislature in 2007 revamped the child support laws and created a mathematical formula to determine child support. To find it quickly just to go the resources page of www ...

Establishing Child Support

  • You must first get a court order to establish child support - there are several ways to do this. First, you and your child's other parent can agree on an appropriate amount (usually set by your state's guidelines) for support. A judge must approve your agreement and turn it into an official court order. If you and your child's other parent can't agree, you'll have to ask a Judge or local agency t…
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Enforcing Child Support

  • Once established, a child support order must be obeyed. If not, custodial parents may ask an attorney or their local Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) (also called the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) in some states) for help. A delinquent parent may be subject to any, or all, of the following enforcement tools: 1. Wage Deductions – the custodial parent, his or her att…
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Federal Prosecution of Deadbeat Parents

  • The U.S. Office of the Inspector General (OIG) can intervene in child-support cases where the non-custodial (paying) parent lives in a state other than where the child lives, and: 1. refuses to pay child support for over 1 year 2. where the amount owing is more than $5000, or 3. where the non-custodial parent travels to another state or country to avoid paying child support. The punishme…
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Getting Help

  • You can talk to an experienced family law attorney for help enforcing your child support order. If you can't afford an attorney, contact your local OCSS to see if they can help collect child support using one of the enforcement methods mentioned above. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Child Support Enforcement websitehas lots of useful information abo…
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Issue

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Generally, the law requires a person paying child support to make those payments until any of these apply:
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Causes

  • Both parents have a responsibility to support their children financially. When a divorce occurs and one parent has physical custody of the children, that parent's responsibility is fulfilled by being the custodial parent. The other parent then makes a child support payment which fulfills that non-custodial parent's financial responsibilities. In the case of joint custody, the amount of child sup…
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Effects

  • A stepfather is not financially liable for child support. However, if he legally adopts the children and thus terminates the parental rights of the biological father, the stepfather becomes liable for their financial support.
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Background

  • Each state in the United States is required by federal law to establish guidelines that are used to calculate child support due from parents based largely on their income and expenses. Because states have a fair amount of discretion in setting these guidelines, child support payments required vary widely between states, even under the same circumstances. But normall…
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Variations

  • Only the court can change a mandated child support payment, so any modification would have to be submitted to a judge. If both spouses agree on a change, it is usually a pretty simple process. When you don't agree, the request will be submitted by your family law attorney for a hearing. The spouse who wants to make a change over the other's objection has the burden to s…
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Criticism

  • One of the biggest complaints of non-custodial fathers is that their ex won't honor custody or visitation orders, and there is the temptation to withhold child support. This is not allowed. Child support payments and visitation are considered by the law to be totally separate issues. If your ex is not living up to the custody decree by providing visitation as required, you will need to go bac…
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Risks

  • Not staying current on your child support obligations is called \"big trouble.\" You are inviting a lot of legal involvement in your life and finances if you don't live up to your mandated child support obligations. Additionally, it can hurt your credibility with the court and with state enforcement officials if you want to later make changes to your parenting plan, your custody arrangements o…
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Definition

  • The court order entered as a part of your divorce and custody process defines the amount and payment schedule, as well as other conditions that might lead to recalibrating your commitments. These conditions might prescribe how much of a new raise might be added to your support obligations or what you can do with a windfall like an inheritance or an insurance settle…
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Prevention

  • If you are having difficulty meeting your child support obligations, you might consider creating a more realistic budget, reducing your expenses, finding less expensive housing, getting a cheaper car or negotiating with creditors to lower your monthly debt obligation payments. These may seem like drastic measures and may really change your life, but a more austere lifestyle may be i…
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Results

  • It is in your best interest to start this process as soon as something significant changes. In most cases, the law prohibits a judge from retroactively reducing a child support payment, even if a reduction is reasonable after the fact. And you will remain on the hook for the amounts required before the effective date of the modified child support order.
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