Parents in New Jersey who have gone through a divorce know that matters of child support and child custody can be decided upon outside of court. But, of course, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes extra effort is necessary to resolve these issues, and when a non-custodial parent doesn’t make court-ordered payments or breaches a custody agreement, that parent could be penalized.
Sussex County residents may take interest in an odd but relevant child support order that was recently handed down in Tennessee. A woman adopted a 7-year-old Russian boy through an adoption agency. When she decided that she could no longer handle what she described as his violent behavioral problems, she put the boy on a plane back to his homeland. She sent him off alone and with a note saying he was violent.
The adoption agency sued the woman in 2011, and she decided to fight the lawsuit. However, she failed to respond to summonses or appear at depositions.
Using a number of lawyers over time, the woman tried to convince a judge that the 7-year-old was a danger to her family, but the court wasn’t convinced. The judge ordered her to pay $150,000 in child support.
In New Jersey and throughout the country, child support must be paid in full and promptly. Otherwise, the paying parent could be penalized or even face jail time. If a non-custodial parent’s financial situation changes for the worse and he or she is unable to make payments, then a child support modification may be in order. That, in any case, is a better course of action than simply stopping payments.
If you would like to know more about altering child support plans, you may want to stop by our Sussex County child support site. Our firm helps child support payors and recipients work out the best plan for them.
Source: The Tennessean, “Tearful TN mom must pay support for boy sent back to Russia,” Kristin M. Hall, July 14, 2012
