The dissolution of a marriage can prove traumatic for all parties involved. During most proceedings, the subject of child support comes up, and an agreement is made based on what your partner owes to help cover the costs of raising your child. But what happens when you have mountains of unpaid child support and no word from your ex? It’s a world of mixed emotions, charged rhetoric, and in most cases, children caught in the middle.
If your former partner refuses to pay child support, you do have some options at your disposal. With the right child custody attorneys on your side, you can find the right avenue to collect the child support you’re owed.
Talk It Out
This may seem like the least appealing option, but it can prove the most direct way for the custodial parent to get the financial support they need. Before you petition the court, talking to your ex to find out if there is an extenuating circumstance behind the missed payments can help avoid a messy legal struggle and help find a way forward.
Know Your Legal Options
If talking it out with your ex only gives you the impression that they are a deadbeat parent and likely to continue their pattern of failure to pay child support, you need to know your legal options. Talking to an experienced child support attorney can help you formulate a legal strategy to get a court to enforce the child support payments.
Turn to the Courts for Help
After successfully bringing your ex-partner to court, you have a wealth of options available to help you with child support enforcement. If your ex has shown a pattern of missing child support payments or an outright refusal to abide by the conditions of the marital settlement agreement, New Jersey courts have various methods at their disposal to help get your money.
By virtue of a family court order, judge’s can enforce the following:
- Suspend professional licenses
- Place liens on their assets
- Place a garnish on their wages
- Seize assets from their accounts
- Suspend their driver’s license
- Deny passport renewals
- Seize lottery winnings
- Seize personal injury settlement
If your ex-partners continue to fail to pay their child support, the New Jersey court system can take it a step further. The courts can report their refusal to pay to their credit agencies and begin to see their credit score suffer; as a result, they usually start to see their future buying power suffer. As a result, you’ll see people be more proactive in making their child support payments — but not always.
What Happens If They Continue to Miss Payments?
In the event of the courts’ efforts to get your ex-partner to comply with the child support order, they can be found in contempt of court and have a warrant issued for their arrest. It remains the most extreme option at your disposal. However, it can prove your only recourse to get the payments you and your child deserve.
Have a Family Law Attorney You Can Trust
For people going through a contentious divorce, ensuring you can meet your child’s needs is of the highest priority. If your ex-partner has been required by law to provide the necessary child support payments but refuses to comply, you and your child shouldn’t have to suffer. With Keith Family Law on your side, you’ll have an experienced legal team with you every step of the way to help you navigate this potentially emotionally fraught situation.
Contact our team to schedule your first consultation and receive the representation you deserve today!
