Failure to pay child support case gets complicated for immigrant

When a child support order is handed down in family court, failure to pay can result in serious consequences for the paying parent. However, not every case of failure to pay child support is cut and dry. Any parent in Pennsylvania who struggles with child support payments or struggles to ensure that a paying parent keeps up with payments may be interested in the case of an immigrant who was jailed for not paying.

The Indian immigrant was ordered to pay $1,000 a month in support. He was the owner of a jewelry store. The business failed, and the man claimed that the child support payments would be the entirety of his salary. He then did not pay and ended up jailed for contempt.

The man was to stay jailed until he paid $8,000. He spent six months in jail until a motion was presented to challenge the decision to keep him jailed. According to the motion, the ex-wife had the papers served to an old address, and the order to pay was filed when the man was out of the country. A representative for the ex-wife stated that he believes the man will flee the country and continue to avoid paying.

The family court system in Pennsylvania and other states work diligently to hand down fair and just orders. The court also can take modifications into consideration when a paying parent has trouble paying or keeping up with child support payments in general. Cases can also grow complicated if one parent is not in the state or country when an order is handed down. Anyone who may have questions about how and when an order is or was served, and what options he or she may have if unable to pay, should seek out up-to-date legal advice from an experienced legal professional.

Source: CBS Chicago, “Man Freed After 6 Months In Jail For Failing To Pay Child Support“, Mike Krauser, Dec. 11, 2014