Would I be financially liable?

#1 08-07-2003, 02:16 PM

What is the name of your state? Virginia

I am considering marriage to a man who has a 12 year old child. He has no relationship at all with the child- has had no contact since birth. The only connection is that he pays child support monthly directly to the state. He will be responsible for paying child support until the child is 18.

If I marry this person, would I in anyway become responsible for this financial obligation?

Thanks.

sroutlaw · #2 08-07-2003, 02:25 PM

NO

But please remember that his obligations will go on at least six, and possibly ten-eleven years, and there is NO WAY to get out of them. So please go into the marriage with open eyes that this portion of his income, plus extras, upward cs mods, and college will NOT BE AVAILABLE. I have seen a sad number of "can my hubby get out of paying" posts lately.

But your income is not at all attachible for child.

sroutlaw · #3 08-07-2003, 02:27 PM

And PS, please think hard about the kind of man who would abandon his child (don't give me his excuses, I really have heard them all and none of them wash for the kid!) at birth and never bother with him. The only way you should probably marry this guy is if you want no children, no emotional ties to any and a guy who is not much into commitments.

#4 08-07-2003, 02:43 PM

Thanks for your comments and feedback.

I just wanted to get some clarification- there is no way that he can be responsible for paying any part of her college education, correct? You sort of intimated that this might be a possibility in your post. Wouldn't his financial responsibility end once the child reaches adult status which is 18? There is no agreement in place which states otherwise, and he was never married to this woman.

(also, I don't want to try to get him out of paying what he is obligated to- he made the bed, so must lie in it, so to speak. I just want to be sure that it will not affect me directly.)

#5 08-07-2003, 04:52 PM

There is a good possibility that he may have some financial responsibility towards the college years. Child support may be terminated when the child is 18...unless he is in school full time.

sroutlaw · #6 08-07-2003, 07:03 PM

Heck yes he can be made to pay for college costs - this is a fairly common practice!
Did you just skip over the what kind of man WOULD abandon his child part? I hope you have no intentions of procreating with this kind of vile "sperm donor" type?

#7 08-08-2003, 07:48 AM

Thank you for your response, Darlene.

I must admit that I find the practice of requiring support for the college years to be questionable. The reason is that when a married couple has a child who at 18 goes to college, neither parent can be forced to pay for that child's college education. I come from that situation and my parents did not pay for my schooling after high school.

SR, I thank you for your comments, however, I am not going to engage in a pointless discussion of the character of a person you know nothing about. You do not know the specifics of his situation or him, so, therefore, your comments about that are not valid. So whether or not I plan on procreating with him as you put it is not pertinent to the question that I had originally posted.

kat1963 · #8 08-08-2003, 08:42 AM

VA has no law requiring support thru college unless stipulated to in a divorce agreement. Child support in VA is until the child is 18, if still in high school (full time) then till 19 or high school graduation which ever comes first. It's pretty bottom line. If he's paying thru c/s/e he will need to file a motion to amend & review a few months before the child's 18th birthday. Forms & instructions are on line. Unless barred by court order, he can legally request school & medical records if he wishes.
It's very rare that the courts will consider your income. Frankly, I wouldn't worry about it. But do be advised however, that anything listed in both names can be taken to pay support IF he goes into arrears (which isn't going to happen, right? *S*).
Good Luck!
KAT

#9 08-08-2003, 09:15 AM

Kat - Thanks so much for your info.

Would you happen to know the link online to where the forms are that you referrenced? I would love to read more about the specifics on this.

kat1963 · #10 08-08-2003, 09:36 AM

No problem. Here is the link the forms:
[url]http://www.courts.state.va.us/forms/district/home.html[/url]
VA Family code on Visitation direct:
[url]http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+20-124.3[/url]
Basic database for searches:
[url]http://leg1.state.va.us/000/src.htm[/url]

KAT