Child Support

YAY! Now you'll have more years to enjoy your wonderful son! GREAT news! I'm proud of you.

((((HUGS))))

Awwwww shucks, thanks Eva :-D

(((((HUGS)))))

I started reading this thread for the first time late last night, I wanted to go to sleep, my eyes were burning from staying up late, but I was waiting for a happy ending for you Montana.
If I could turn myself into a Fairy God Mother I would have been at your door step.
I've been divorced for 7 years and have a 10 year old girl, her dad has been reasonably good with child support, but we both worked at the same company that closed. The child support was cut in half, so I moved in with my parents because rents are insane around here for one person to afford.
I have never been this poor, but I have never been this happy.
What a journey. Thank you for starting this thread it has helped me.
The good times don't alway's last, but neither do the bad ones.

Paulaj
It's people like you who help keep me strong. Thanks so much for your kind words and I wish nothing but the very best for you and your daughter as well. I think the hard times make us stonger and more able to appreciate what we have :-D

I've tried my best to stay away from the court system, I have found it slow and unaffective, not to mention I can't afford a lawyer.

When you said you took half of what you could have, you sounded a lot like me. I'm slowly getting better at that.

I hear you loud and clear Paula. The courts don't seem to have it in gear and I've never been able to get much out of them either, but I still haven't given up on myself. I may not be able to affort to take the trip back to the states right now to get him up on contempt charges, but I'll financially be able to go at this time next year and I will go simply because I let him get away with this for 17 years and I won't let him get away with it anymore. I decided to make a little vacation out of it and visit old friends while I'm there, so I won't sit here brewing about how much it costs me every time I have to take him to court. The courts will do their job because I'm going to make them do it. That's my right and they can't deny me that.
The way I see it is that I wasn't alone in bringing my child into this world. My sons father was all excited about our son until he was born and he realized how much work it was, which is when he informed me that taking care of children is womens work. From then on, I've been on my own.
Well, It's all for the best since that monster would have been the worst influence on our son. My son has grown to be a fine young man in spite of his fathers absense and I'm very proud of him :-)
I still live with my mother, but there's nothing wrong with that. I may be poor, but I carry my own weight and we are really in need of nothing. Well, my car is 18 years old and I could use a newer one, but I'm grateful that this one gets use where we need to go. All in all, I've learned to appreciate life without the material things, so when I get back on my feet and have some extra cash in my pocket every week, it's going to be a real treat.

It will be a treat for both of us

No doubt ;-)

Hi! I hope things are going alright for you montana. I am going to court wednesday for my trial. I am just hoping it goes my way
I will keep ya al updated.

Best of luck to you Zacksmom. Unfortunately, my ex decided to run, so I haven't seen any support in 6 weeks and I have no idea where he is. I'll have to wait until next winter before I can afford to take the trip back down there, so I lose. Either way, I won't give up. He's either going to pay me what he owes me or he goes to jail.

I'll be thinking of you.

I hope everything goes alright for you, and you find him. My ex called me tonight, the day before the hearing, to see if I had any plans of moving back towards the area closer, and we could work something o ut before we got into court, and it went too far. I said no, I don't have any intentions of moving back to this area, or anything. I just hope it goes alright tomorow. I will keep you updated for sure.

You go girl :-D

I'll be fine. My son is just months away from being an adult, my home schooling days are almost done and I can finally go to work and make some real money. I figure that my ex is getting his since in the past 6 months our son stopped talking to him and his wife threw him out (so she says). The man is a miserable human being and I'm just glad that I got as far away from him as I could get. I'll eventually get the money he owes along with interest and my traveling expenses, so all is well ;-)

My fingers will be crossed for you. Good luck!

Well montana, the trial went on the 3rd, and then to the 15th, and I got primary residency, and physical custody of my son. My ex wasn't too happy out it. the only thing is I have to move back to amsterdam, but I can live anywhere in montgomery county or even fulton county if I choose, but Joe still thinks he can make me put Zack in his school of choice. but it's my choice, and I don't need his permission or anything.
He's being a real jerk. And, I got child support too. He wasn't happy about that one at all!
Anyway, just thought I would update you, it's been awhile.

I'm so happy for you Zacksmom. I knew you'd come through this ok and I'm glad to finally hear that all is well. :-D

I still haven't seen anymore support from my deadbeat ex, so nothing has changed on this end, but atleast I don't have the stress of a custody battle. Been there, done that and as long as I never have to go through that again, I'll be just fine.

Hugs to you and your son :-D

thanks. Yeah I am glad it's over,. And it turned out mostly the way I wanted it to, and the moving thing is just a little set back.
Thanks again. I hope things turn up for you, and that he ends up having to pay somehow.

Thanks. He keeps going to court where they continue to give him more time, so I don't have much faith in the court system these days as far as child support is concerned.

I have a problem unlike Montana's. My child support goes through the Department of Human Services after it is garnished from my ex's paycheck. He quit paying 3 years ago and disappeared. Believe it or not, my final check was for a whopping $1.11. DHS could not give me any information on his whereabouts or his financial situation without his permission.

I have internet access to my child support payment record through DHS and the arrearage recently topped $20,000. What is the monetary limit at which I can level criminal charges against him for non-payment of child suppport? The only drawback is that if he is in jail he can't pay. However, at least I'll know where he is.

Also, I spoke recently with his mother, who was extremely evasive when I asked if she knew where he was. I didn't push the issue.

My children have not seen their dad since October, 1994, when he tried to kidnap them and take them across state lines. For this reason, I now have full permanent custody.

I have a problem unlike Montana's. My child support goes through the Department of Human Services after it is garnished from my ex's paycheck. He quit paying 3 years ago and disappeared. Believe it or not, my final check was for a whopping $1.11. DHS could not give me any information on his whereabouts or his financial situation without his permission.

I have internet access to my child support payment record through DHS and the arrearage recently topped $20,000. What is the monetary limit at which I can level criminal charges against him for non-payment of child suppport? The only drawback is that if he is in jail he can't pay. However, at least I'll know where he is.

Also, I spoke recently with his mother, who was extremely evasive when I asked if she knew where he was. I didn't push the issue.

My children have not seen their dad since October, 1994, when he tried to kidnap them and take them across state lines. For this reason, I now have full permanent custody.

I am not sure what the level is, but they should have done something before it got that high. That's outrageous. When I just went to the support hearing against my ex, the magistrate told him, if he misses one payment, they start actions against him. It's nuts!

It used to be that if the guy went across state lines there was no legal recourse; in other words there was nothing you or anyone else could do.

It is better now since the child support laws are federal and uniform. Every state has a different guideline as to how much the absent parent must pay, but these federal laws give state agencies the power to track them down and make them pay in a variety of ways. Some of these ways can be garnishment of wages, revocation of vital licensure, auctioning valuable assets, seizure of tax refund (QTIP) and if your ex is receiving social security disability, your children are entitled to a share of that benefit. And if worse comes to worse, a hefty fine and imprisonment. Something else I found out that was quite interesting, when all the kids turn 18 and are no longer attending school, their child support ends. However, the amount in arrears doesn't go away. It doesn't matter if your ex has to pay until he is 80, that will never, ever go away until it is paid in full. Another interesting thing: bankruptcy cannot make it go away either.

Today, there is something we as custodial parents can do. I got Child Support Enforcement into the act and they are now tracking him down through his social security number. If he gets a job anywhere, they are on the lookout for his social security number.

I'm tired and I am angry, but I know that if I give up, he will have won. He may won a battle, but he isn't going to win the war, because Montana, the law is on our side for a change.