Child support/parental rights from US to Ireland

[EuroDad]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Washington

Hello,

In March of 2013, I took my life savings ($10,000) and moved my pregnant girlfriend, her son from a previous marriage, our 2 year-old son, and myself to live with her parents in Ireland. I quickly found out that the whole thing had been planned to get me to move her back home and give permission for her to take our children, then dump me. After a week of being in Ireland, she told me she was breaking up with me (after she had admitted infidelity), she was keeping all my money (that she deposited into her step father's bank account to convert to Euros for us), and that she had bought me a plane ticket to go back to the states and told me if I didn't leave, her family would call Garda (Irish police) to have me removed. She gave birth to our second child last October. As far as I am concerned, I never gave consent for her to be anywhere outside of this country, or this state for that matter, with our children, without me.

I have also found out that she has been claiming child support from Ireland. I just received a notice that I owe $1800 in back payments, even though it appears that child support was deducted from unemployment claims I made last year (some of which were refunded to me for overpayment). Furthermore, after moving to Ireland, she admitted to me that she had taken out several $10K+ lines of credit in the US previously, charged them up, and skipped the country. She also abandoned a leased vehicle that was in her name and continued to claim unemployment benefits from the state of Washington well after she had left the country, never seeking employment, with no intention of ever returning to the states and full knowledge that she was committing fraud.

I am wondering what my legal standing here is in regard to child support, custody, and potential repercussions to her for her actions. I doubt she could be forced to return to the US with my children, but I am hoping for advice on what rights I do have. I am currently considering moving to a low cost-of-living former Eastern Bloc country just so I won't be an entire ocean apart from my children. I know it's excruciatingly frustrating to fathers that their rights around the world are practically nonexistent, and this seems to be testament to that fact.

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

EuroDad

 

[ecmst12]

A year later? Your chances are much worse than they were when it happened. Jurisdiction for the older child *might* still be able to be in the US, but hardly a sure thing. The child that was born there is going to have jurisdiction there as well. You never would have had the ability to prevent her from returning to her country to give birth.

 

[EuroDad]

A year later? Your chances are much worse than they were when it happened. Jurisdiction for the older child *might* still be able to be in the US, but hardly a sure thing. The child that was born there is going to have jurisdiction there as well. You never would have had the ability to prevent her from returning to her country to give birth.

Thanks for the feedback. Just to clarify, she is not from Ireland. She was born in Germany and has never resided in Ireland. She had previously lived in the US for 14 years. Her mother and step father live in Ireland, which is why she wanted to move there. She holds an EU passport.

And yes, a year later because since I was taken for my entire life savings, I came back to the states penniless and homeless. It took a hospitalization and 2 stints working in Alaska just to get back on my feet, and here I am, trying to figure out the rest.

EuroDad

 

[SESmama]

For the younger c u old is doesn't matter how long she n lived in the US nor where she was born. The child was born in Ireland. They will hold jurisdiction over that child and all proceedings relating to the child.