How can they legally do this to my family??

[dbgenerations]

We live in Indiana by the way. Alright so last night Myself, my wife, and my kids went grocery shopping, my wife has her learners permit and myself my license, shes never really had to drive to much because I've always had my license and drove us anywhere we needed to go. Well last night she wanted to drive home from the store so I let her, apparently one of our tail light bulbs blew so a cop pulled us over to inform us of it, which in my eyes ok no biggie. The officer told us about it and took my license and my wifes learners permit and came back to inform my my wife cannot drive because MY LICENSE is suspended for delinquent child support, heres the thing, the only children I have is with my wife, and I have never been ordered to pay child support on them because well for the last 12 years(since my oldest was born) We have all lived together and I've worked to provide for them. So now I can't drive to work, drive my wife to work, or even pick up my daughter from a middle school dance tomorrow because the courts somehow made a mistake and suspended my license. The officer said I will have to pay a reinstatement fee!?!? Why should I pay a reinstatement fee because the child support office decided I needed to pay, well i guess myself child support?? someone please tell me there is some way i can get this fixed without paying some fee that shouldnt be my responsibility, i dont even have any speeding tickets on my record?

 

[Just Blue]

We live in Indiana by the way. Alright so last night Myself, my wife, and my kids went grocery shopping, my wife has her learners permit and myself my license, shes never really had to drive to much because I've always had my license and drove us anywhere we needed to go. Well last night she wanted to drive home from the store so I let her, apparently one of our tail light bulbs blew so a cop pulled us over to inform us of it, which in my eyes ok no biggie. The officer told us about it and took my license and my wifes learners permit and came back to inform my my wife cannot drive because MY LICENSE is suspended for delinquent child support, heres the thing, the only children I have is with my wife, and I have never been ordered to pay child support on them because well for the last 12 years(since my oldest was born) We have all lived together and I've worked to provide for them. So now I can't drive to work, drive my wife to work, or even pick up my daughter from a middle school dance tomorrow because the courts somehow made a mistake and suspended my license. The officer said I will have to pay a reinstatement fee!?!? Why should I pay a reinstatement fee because the child support office decided I needed to pay, well i guess myself child support?? someone please tell me there is some way i can get this fixed without paying some fee that shouldnt be my responsibility, i dont even have any speeding tickets on my record?

Was you wife and kids at anytime on TANF?

 

[Zigner]

We live in Indiana by the way. Alright so last night Myself, my wife, and my kids went grocery shopping, my wife has her learners permit and myself my license, shes never really had to drive to much because I've always had my license and drove us anywhere we needed to go. Well last night she wanted to drive home from the store so I let her, apparently one of our tail light bulbs blew so a cop pulled us over to inform us of it, which in my eyes ok no biggie. The officer told us about it and took my license and my wifes learners permit and came back to inform my my wife cannot drive because MY LICENSE is suspended for delinquent child support, heres the thing, the only children I have is with my wife, and I have never been ordered to pay child support on them because well for the last 12 years(since my oldest was born) We have all lived together and I've worked to provide for them. So now I can't drive to work, drive my wife to work, or even pick up my daughter from a middle school dance tomorrow because the courts somehow made a mistake and suspended my license. The officer said I will have to pay a reinstatement fee!?!? Why should I pay a reinstatement fee because the child support office decided I needed to pay, well i guess myself child support?? someone please tell me there is some way i can get this fixed without paying some fee that shouldnt be my responsibility, i dont even have any speeding tickets on my record?

You need to contact the folks at the "child support office". There's nothing that anybody on this (or any) internet forum can do to help you at this moment.

 

[not2cleverRed]

They can legally do this to you, if the information given to them identifies you as someone who has been court ordered to pay support, and you have not paid it.

Before your license is suspended, they usually try to notify you at the address on your license. Have you moved without notifying the DMV of your address?

You really have to determine what the child support court order is about.

 

[dbgenerations]

I've contacted the child support office, i was told basically "whoops our bad." but that now i still need to pay a reinstatement fee on my license. and no my family has never been on any kind of assistance other then my 8 year old needs alot of medical attention so we applied for medicaid for him because my insurance at my employment for him would have cost a fortune, I'm not sure if that's what would have triggered it but it still makes no sense, my wife and I are married and have lived together since before our oldest was born, how and why would the state take it upon themselves to set up child support for kids that live with me and whos mother i am married to, and if they did why didnt we get anything in the mail about it?? It just amazes me that an office geared towards the support of children have actually hurt my children by doing this.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

You need to get something in writing from the Child Support office that made the error. The DMV might accept that in place of a reinstatement fee. To do this you will likely have to go higher up the food chain than the first person that you talk to at either CS or DMV.

 

[dbgenerations]

You need to get something in writing from the Child Support office that made the error. The DMV might accept that in place of a reinstatement fee. To do this you will likely have to go higher up the food chain than the first person that you talk to at either CS or DMV.

That's actually a good idea, im gonna make some calls and try to do that. I appreciate the advice, sorry for ranting everyone its been kinda hectic since this happened, alot of stress and worry.

 

[xylene]

Your car is important to your family, so I'd Pay the reinstatement fee and try to recoup it later.

It appears there is a fee waiver process as well, but you may need to go to court.

This is a summary of the BMV info.

You wife may want to get her own license, since she can in fact drive just fine.

 

[not2cleverRed]

I've contacted the child support office, i was told basically "whoops our bad." but that now i still need to pay a reinstatement fee on my license. and no my family has never been on any kind of assistance other then my 8 year old needs alot of medical attention so we applied for medicaid for him because my insurance at my employment for him would have cost a fortune, I'm not sure if that's what would have triggered it but it still makes no sense, my wife and I are married and have lived together since before our oldest was born, how and why would the state take it upon themselves to set up child support for kids that live with me and whos mother i am married to, and if they did why didnt we get anything in the mail about it?? It just amazes me that an office geared towards the support of children have actually hurt my children by doing this.

Something seems really off here.

Because yes, if there was a petition for child support, you should have been served.
If there was a hearing on child support, you should have been served.
If there was child support owed, and there wasn't a garnishment order, you should have noticed your bank accounts being frozen and any tax refunds intercepted.
All these things happen before a license is suspended for excessive child support arrears.

So what is the nature of "whoops our bad"?

*That* is why you need it in writing.

 

[LdiJ]

Something seems really off here.

Because yes, if there was a petition for child support, you should have been served.
If there was a hearing on child support, you should have been served.
If there was child support owed, and there wasn't a garnishment order, you should have noticed your bank accounts being frozen and any tax refunds intercepted.
All these things happen before a license is suspended for excessive child support arrears.

So what is the nature of "whoops our bad"?

*That* is why you need it in writing.

Most likely a typo on an SSN. That seems to happen from time to time.

 

[justalayman]

Most likely a typo on an SSN. That seems to happen from time to time.

If so then any order would be improper and invalid. That would make the suspension improper from the inception and voidable. That means there should be no reinstatement fee because the suspension was improper and should be voided.

Good luck getting the BMV to agree without a court order saying so.