What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Colorado
Child support order is out of AZ
I would like to thank any responders up front or their time.
I owe a lot of child support. $44,000 to be exact.
It all started when my sons mom left me. We lived in Colorado and she decided to leave me for a guy who lived in AZ, so one night she just left. She took my son, who was 6 months old at the time.
A few years later I was served with a notice to be in court in AZ the next morning for a child support hearing. Since I lived in Colorado and am on a limited budget this was pretty impossible. I was stupid and young and didnt even give the court a call to try to work anything else out, so I was ordered to pay $250 a month based on my income of $12 per hour. The problem with this was I was working as a furniture mover and often did not get 40 hours a week. Still, it was taken from my check and I paid it for the first year, at the expense of my rent and buying food.
I then lost that job and started working a job that only paid me $8 per hour. Again, I was stupid and just allowed it to come out of my check without asking for a modification order. During the first hearing, I was granted partial custody rights but this didnt work out for two reasons: 1) I live in colorado and she lived in AZ 2)I had absolutely no idea where she and her new husband had moved, where they lived or anything. I asked once to get this information and was told no by the child support agency.
Over the next 8 years I was pretty much out of work half the time. Whenever I did have a job I paid my support. Again, being young and uniformed of my rights, I never asked for a modification order. Come to find out she only had the boy for 2 of those years, the other six she spent in prison while the grandparents, unbeknownst to me, took care of the child. 4 years ago they decided to adopt him, which I agreed to since it was where he spent his entire life and I didnt want to take him away from the only family he has ever known.
From my understanding, adoption stops child support due to the fact I gave up my parental rights. This is not what happened and when I found steady work I got the letter telling me I would have to continue paying. Not the arrears I owed, but still the $250 a month. I called the agency in AZ and informed them of this but was told adoption records are sealed so there was nothing they could do for me, I would still just have to pay. So for the past four years I continued to pay as I cant afford a lawyer, I can barely afford rent. Still wasnt getting $12 an hour or even 40 hours a week.
I recently got back in contact with the mother and son and am trying to make up for missing a lot of his life. Her parents were the ones who adopted him but she still gets to see him a lot so when she does she lets him talk to me. Right now im just sort of doing my best to reconnect with him and make up for the lost years. And the relationship with his mother is a lot better now we arent stupid teenagers.
I know I owe back child support for at least two years, which I have no problem paying off as soon as I can. Circumstances, however, being as they were, and are, I think the $44,000 amount is unfair. Had I been given any access to my kid during that time I would believe differently. There is also about a year and a half after the adoption that added to the arrears.
I know mistakes were made, especially on my part. I know I should have tried harder to get a better job and find and be a part of my sons life. All I can do right now is try my best to fix it, with him first so he knows he has a dad who cares about him, and also with myself because $44,000 is a lot of money to be on my credit report and to be indebted.
My question is this: Do I have any recourse at all when it comes to the amount I owe? Is it possible, if I need to go to court, that I could go in Colorado and not in AZ, since I am still too broke to make that trip? Is there any way I can get the amount reduced, considering what I have paid already, the absence of any knowledge of my child whatsoever, and also the money I actually made during that time?
I ask for you to hold your judgment on me being a deadbeat dad, as I know I dropped the ball for a few years by being irresponsible myself and also not fighting for my parental rights. Im willing to pay what I owe but I want it to be fair.
Any advice would be well appreciated. thank you for reading.
Child support order is out of AZ
I would like to thank any responders up front or their time.
I owe a lot of child support. $44,000 to be exact.
It all started when my sons mom left me. We lived in Colorado and she decided to leave me for a guy who lived in AZ, so one night she just left. She took my son, who was 6 months old at the time.
A few years later I was served with a notice to be in court in AZ the next morning for a child support hearing. Since I lived in Colorado and am on a limited budget this was pretty impossible. I was stupid and young and didnt even give the court a call to try to work anything else out, so I was ordered to pay $250 a month based on my income of $12 per hour. The problem with this was I was working as a furniture mover and often did not get 40 hours a week. Still, it was taken from my check and I paid it for the first year, at the expense of my rent and buying food.
I then lost that job and started working a job that only paid me $8 per hour. Again, I was stupid and just allowed it to come out of my check without asking for a modification order. During the first hearing, I was granted partial custody rights but this didnt work out for two reasons: 1) I live in colorado and she lived in AZ 2)I had absolutely no idea where she and her new husband had moved, where they lived or anything. I asked once to get this information and was told no by the child support agency.
Over the next 8 years I was pretty much out of work half the time. Whenever I did have a job I paid my support. Again, being young and uniformed of my rights, I never asked for a modification order. Come to find out she only had the boy for 2 of those years, the other six she spent in prison while the grandparents, unbeknownst to me, took care of the child. 4 years ago they decided to adopt him, which I agreed to since it was where he spent his entire life and I didnt want to take him away from the only family he has ever known.
From my understanding, adoption stops child support due to the fact I gave up my parental rights. This is not what happened and when I found steady work I got the letter telling me I would have to continue paying. Not the arrears I owed, but still the $250 a month. I called the agency in AZ and informed them of this but was told adoption records are sealed so there was nothing they could do for me, I would still just have to pay. So for the past four years I continued to pay as I cant afford a lawyer, I can barely afford rent. Still wasnt getting $12 an hour or even 40 hours a week.
I recently got back in contact with the mother and son and am trying to make up for missing a lot of his life. Her parents were the ones who adopted him but she still gets to see him a lot so when she does she lets him talk to me. Right now im just sort of doing my best to reconnect with him and make up for the lost years. And the relationship with his mother is a lot better now we arent stupid teenagers.
I know I owe back child support for at least two years, which I have no problem paying off as soon as I can. Circumstances, however, being as they were, and are, I think the $44,000 amount is unfair. Had I been given any access to my kid during that time I would believe differently. There is also about a year and a half after the adoption that added to the arrears.
I know mistakes were made, especially on my part. I know I should have tried harder to get a better job and find and be a part of my sons life. All I can do right now is try my best to fix it, with him first so he knows he has a dad who cares about him, and also with myself because $44,000 is a lot of money to be on my credit report and to be indebted.
My question is this: Do I have any recourse at all when it comes to the amount I owe? Is it possible, if I need to go to court, that I could go in Colorado and not in AZ, since I am still too broke to make that trip? Is there any way I can get the amount reduced, considering what I have paid already, the absence of any knowledge of my child whatsoever, and also the money I actually made during that time?
I ask for you to hold your judgment on me being a deadbeat dad, as I know I dropped the ball for a few years by being irresponsible myself and also not fighting for my parental rights. Im willing to pay what I owe but I want it to be fair.
Any advice would be well appreciated. thank you for reading.
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