college bound

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?texas
My son turns 18 on May 25 and child support stops. My son is going to Baylor Univ., full tuition scholarship, and his father has declared that he is not going to help with any financial matters. He is very well-off and not remarried, neither of us are. We've been divorced ten years. My questions is this: Can I take him back to court to have him help pay for 1/2 of college expenses, including car insurance and health insurance? College was not addressed in the original divorce decree.

ardnas said:

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?texas
My son turns 18 on May 25 and child support stops. My son is going to Baylor Univ., full tuition scholarship, and his father has declared that he is not going to help with any financial matters. He is very well-off and not remarried, neither of us are. We've been divorced ten years. My questions is this: Can I take him back to court to have him help pay for 1/2 of college expenses, including car insurance and health insurance? College was not addressed in the original divorce decree.

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Yes you can. After all, anyone can sue just about anyone else for just about anything.

Whether or not you'll win is between slim and a cold day in hell. Your time to think about all of this was during your initial support hearing.

And I don't know of any judge who is going to feel sorry for you or junior when he's got a full ride and there are kids who don't even have dinner.

Tell Junior it's time to be a man and find his own way. It's called a PART-TIME job.

BelizeBreeze said:

Yes you can. After all, anyone can sue just about anyone else for just about anything.

Whether or not you'll win is between slim and a cold day in hell. Your time to think about all of this was during your initial support hearing.

And I don't know of any judge who is going to feel sorry for you or junior when he's got a full ride and there are kids who don't even have dinner.

Tell Junior it's time to be a man and find his own way. It's called a PART-TIME job.

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I agree to the most part with Belize...with a full ride...however I disagree with some aspects...particularly health insurance. If dad has been providing that and can continue to provide it he should be required to do so....and I suspect a judge would also require him to do so as well.

You're right, I should have done this in my mediation but it didn't happen for various reasons. The part that bothers me is that my son has worked for two years (yes, he has a job) and done a dang good job at school, becoming a National Merit Finalist. I have only been in the work force for 8 years (stayed home with "Junior") and my earnings are a fraction of my ex's. He makes well over 400K per year and I'm at 54K (and that's with my masters degree). I'm selling my boat (from the divorce) and house (not from divorce - he got the house) to help with school. It doesn't seem fair. I feel that my son has done a lot to help with his education and I don't want him coming out of school with tons of debt when dad's loaded.

LdiJ said:

I agree to the most part with Belize...with a full ride...however I disagree with some aspects...particularly health insurance. If dad has been providing that and can continue to provide it he should be required to do so....and I suspect a judge would also require him to do so as well.

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And you would be wrong. The father is ONLY required to do what is stated in the support order until the child is an adult. Anything more once the CHILD is and ADULT is a matter of 'want to'.

If your son has maintained a good relationship with his dad (i.e.- didn't refuse to spend time with him while in his teens, called him and spoke to him on his own, etc.) then sonny can do what many of us did, speak to dad on his own and discuss what form of assistance dad may be ready and willing to offer, even if as a loan against any future possible inheritance.

Perhaps dad would be willing to work something out with his son that he would not be willing to work out with you directly involved.

I think I'm going to go back and sue my parents because I shouldn't have to get out of school being in debt either and not only did I have tuition, but a house payment and car payment. Come to think of it, I still have a house payment, can I sue them to pay for it now?

That's just crazy. Because he may have the money, doesn't make him responsible to give JR every advantage. People who earn their own way, usually ends up the better because of it.