After divorce, child support is often one of the biggest continuing expenses many fathers face. These court-ordered payments provide for the needs of your kids. In many cases, one parent pays a certain percentage, while the other covers the rest. But what if your ex won’t pay her share?
Rick Jones, one of our founding partners, makes regular appearances on the Danny Bonaduce and Sarah Morning Show, where he answers listeners’ family law questions. One recent caller finds himself in this situation. Listen to what his options are and why it’s important to act sooner rather than later.
Check it out below:
Caller: “Been divorced for seven years, got two kids, joint custody, and the question I have is: I pay for 60%, she pays for 40%. But she doesn’t pay anything on behalf of the kids. Like drivers ed, clothes, anything for school…nothing. Do I have any recourse in bringing this to court, or…? What do I do?”
Rick: “So, on your child support order it recognizes that she’s responsible for a percentage of things like extracurricular activities? If that’s the case, what he’s going to want to do, he certainly has the ability to do one of two things.
“Either, one: Go back to court and basically seek a judgment for these dollar amounts. [In that case] he needs to be prepared with receipts. I worry it’s gone on for so long though. He’s kind of acquiesced to this, so the timing to do that would have been early on. To basically say: ‘These are the rules of the game and I’m going to make sure you adhere to them.’ But that’s one possibility.
“Or two: The other is to get in touch with your child support enforcement officer, so through DCS. So, a lot of times you can supply them with that information and they may be helpful in the process. The benefit obviously is that they’re free, the downside is that they may not be as responsive as someone you’re actually paying.”
If you have questions about your case or need to talk to a divorce lawyer, contact Goldberg Jones. Our San Diego office is ready to help you.
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