Though very few people like to be told by a court that they will need to pay an ex-husband or -wife money every month, many people recognize that, in the case of child support, there is good reason for the order. Child support orders are not meant to punish a parent or to force interaction with his or her ex, but they are a way to defray some of the costs of raising a child. For the custodial parent, it can cost quite a bit to care for the former couple’s child, so it only makes sense that the other parent also contribute.
Unfortunately, there are a number of parents who fail to follow their child support orders. They either cannot or will not pay their children’s other parents the money they are due.
Though this did not happen in Pennsylvania, the story of a father who owes nearly $100,000 in child support could easily have happened here. It is not entirely clear as to why he has not paid his child support or whether he is working on reducing the amount of child support in arrears.
As the mother or mothers who are owed child support, they may wish to work with a family law attorney to try to enforce their child support orders. There are often a number of possibilities to get exes to pay the child support they owe.
If, however, the father is not paying child support because he is unable to do so and the order is unrealistically high, he may wish to work with a family law attorney to modify his order. Or, if his circumstances have changed, like he has lost his job, he may be able to get a modified order.
Source: Fox News, “Ohio dad can’t have more kids until he pays off child support, court says,” May 14, 2014