Child support
I filed for child support, and 7 MONTHS later, we finally had the mediation. Coincidentally, my ex had been fired from his job only 2 weeks after I filed.
At the mediation, he told the commissioner, that he had a new job, which is what they used to figure out his monthly payments. Despite the fact that he had no written proof of this new job, “could not remember” the address, phone number or even the name of his boss, they still used it. He was orders to make a payment by the end of the month or he would be in contempt (our mediation was on the 20th.) He did not make a payment, so contempt charges were filed.
Fast forward 12 weeks later, no payment has been made. I find out that the child support enforcement office had filed a non compliance with his job because they have not garnished his wages. Fast forward another 2 weeks, the enforcement office finds out that he has never worked at the job which he told them he did. Not only that, the department of labor has reported to the enforcement office that he has not been employed by any company since he was fired from the job right after I filed for support (now almost a year later.) Continues on the next pages…
In the meantime
I have lost my job due to downsizing and no fault of my own, and had to take my daughter out of the school she’s been in for the last 3 years because I can’t afford it. We were without health insurance for 6 weeks because that’s how long it took for Medicaid to follow through with my application. I could not afford to get insurance for my daughter and I because the unemployment payments I am receiving are enough for rent ONLY. During the time we were without insurance, she got very sick, but I was unable to take her to the doctor because we were without insurance and my hands were tied due to Medicaid taking so long with following through with my application.
The only one suffering is my daughter
Our contempt hearing will be 5 MONTHS AFTER contempt charges were filed, making it a total of 15 MONTHS after I initially filed for child support. The only one suffering is my daughter. She’s lost the school she loved, and the gymnastics class that I promised I would take her to (before I lost my job), to which she was devastated.
The amount of time it takes to get in front an officer of the court for child support is atrocious, at best.
Over half a year went by before we even got in front of the court for the first time. Child support is filed for because a parent cannot afford things for the child on their own, and for months to go by before getting into court is simply unforgiving. Better measures need to be taken to make sure payments are made from those parents who refuse to pay, or do things to keep the court from figuring them out.
$10,000 in arrears
By the time we get to the contempt hearing, my ex will be $10,000 in arrears, and that doesn’t even include the $2,500 of his share of our daughters medical bills that he’s responsible for.
But he doesn’t care because he’s getting off Scott free with no responsibilities, and my daughter and I are struggling just to survive, right on the basis of poverty.