college...room & board..."glorified child support?"

BACKGROUND INFO: First off, we live in Virginia. I am the wife of a divorced man with two children. They have been divorced 15 years. He is non-custodial. He pays child support and has every other weekend visitation. The children are 17 and 19.

The 19 year old graduated this year and she was taken off the child support. So, currently we are paying for one child. My husbands SEPERATION papers state he is responsible for 1/2 of college tuition & books and room & board. DIVORCE papers say nothing about college. He verbally agreed to pay 1/2 of tuition whenthey first divorced.

His daughter has decided to go to community college and continue to live with her mother. She will also continue to work. This semester she is taking 9 credit hours.

Now the problem...daughters mother ("the ex") is asking my husband for $200 room & board for daughter to live at home while attending college. She says these figures are an average of the costs from universities fees for room & board. She has also laid a huge guilt trip on him about supporting (or NOT suporting) his daughter through college. But, like the mediator said during the modification meeting, he has fulfilled his legal obligations for child support. IN MY OPINION, this room & board is just "glorified child support." The grounds the ex is using to get this money is that it still costs her to have her daughter live at home - that's why the "room & board" - and that if daughter went off to school, he'd be paying room and board.

He told the ex that since daughter is only taking 9 hours - not full time - that he would give her 1/2 of what she was asking for. Ex was not pleased and said something to the effect of "we'll see about that."

I know emotionally what she can do but, legally, what can she do? Is there a case here? Is my husband legally obligated to pay the ex for room & board?

This is a gray area and only a judge can decide this for you. The main point here is that the child is only taking 9 hours and therefore can go out and get a job.. and pay her own rent.

Personally, if this went to court, a judge might order a small amount to be paid, but it should not be much as again, the main issue is the 9 hours..

I need to update my message.

After nasty phone conversation between my husband and his ex, she ended the conversation by saying she would see us in court.

After an argument about something else, he refused to pay that "Room & Board" stuff, that's when she said the court-thing.

HELP?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lynn12:
I need to update my message.

After nasty phone conversation between my husband and his ex, she ended the conversation by saying she would see us in court.

After an argument about something else, he refused to pay that "Room & Board" stuff, that's when she said the court-thing.

HELP? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Do nothing.. let her initiate the court action and see what she is claiming when you are served. Then obviously you will need to defend your action but only a judge is going to decide this..