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Over $50K in missing child support, and increasing

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mhitney

New member
Hello, I'm coming from the state of Minnesota.

Ten years ago, my mother showed up to the second of twelve scheduled divorce court appearances and blew a .35 into a breathalyzer, despite her functional demeanor (she is a practiced alcoholic and is addicted to hard drugs). When it was time for the rescheduled court date, she didn't show up and my father was given full custody and ownership of our home. The judge made is so that she is obliged to pay about $400 a month in child support until my two sisters and I all reached 18 (or until completion of secondary school).

I am nearing my 19th birthday and we have not seen a penny from my mother in child support, and have not received any form of support (financial, anything) from her. I haven't even seen her in five years. My youngest sister is still 14, so my father should still be receiving child support from her. My two sisters, despite receiving no support from her, do not want to go through with any legal action. I do not know if my father will, but I do not think he will want to.
I don't even know what there is to gain from this situation, as my mother still to this day continues to steal money from my father so I know she has none and her only source of income likely comes from stealing and borrowing money from others.

I am going to this forum because I do not know what to do. We grew up very poor with my single father working three jobs to raise us three kids. My useless mother has gotten away without paying $50k in child support over these last ten years, and it is only going to increase as my younger sister by law should still be on child support until June of 2022. Is there any legal action I can take up on my own? Is there any legal action that will do any good if I am able to convince my dad to take the case? Is there any just resolution to this entire hell with my broke mother? Is there a limitation due to my age (also should be mentioned that my older sister is now 20, 21 in November) that I should be aware of?

Please help me.
 


Shadowbunny

Queen of the Not-Rights
Hello, I'm coming from the state of Minnesota.

Ten years ago, my mother showed up to the second of twelve scheduled divorce court appearances and blew a .35 into a breathalyzer, despite her functional demeanor (she is a practiced alcoholic and is addicted to hard drugs). When it was time for the rescheduled court date, she didn't show up and my father was given full custody and ownership of our home. The judge made is so that she is obliged to pay about $400 a month in child support until my two sisters and I all reached 18 (or until completion of secondary school).

I am nearing my 19th birthday and we have not seen a penny from my mother in child support, and have not received any form of support (financial, anything) from her. I haven't even seen her in five years. My youngest sister is still 14, so my father should still be receiving child support from her. My two sisters, despite receiving no support from her, do not want to go through with any legal action. I do not know if my father will, but I do not think he will want to.
I don't even know what there is to gain from this situation, as my mother still to this day continues to steal money from my father so I know she has none and her only source of income likely comes from stealing and borrowing money from others.

I am going to this forum because I do not know what to do. We grew up very poor with my single father working three jobs to raise us three kids. My useless mother has gotten away without paying $50k in child support over these last ten years, and it is only going to increase as my younger sister by law should still be on child support until June of 2022. Is there any legal action I can take up on my own? Is there any legal action that will do any good if I am able to convince my dad to take the case? Is there any just resolution to this entire hell with my broke mother? Is there a limitation due to my age (also should be mentioned that my older sister is now 20, 21 in November) that I should be aware of?

Please help me.
You don't have standing to do anything - it's your father who should be working with the Courts to get this resolved. I suggest he look over the information on this page: MN Child Support Enforcement
 

HRZ

Senior Member
Dad needs to tighten the screws to collect.....but keep in mind if Mom is a deadbeat that he cannot squeeze $$ from a stone ...and the mpossibility to pay is often a good excuse to avoid jail for contempt .
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
Hello, I'm coming from the state of Minnesota.

Ten years ago, my mother showed up to the second of twelve scheduled divorce court appearances and blew a .35 into a breathalyzer, despite her functional demeanor (she is a practiced alcoholic and is addicted to hard drugs). When it was time for the rescheduled court date, she didn't show up and my father was given full custody and ownership of our home. The judge made is so that she is obliged to pay about $400 a month in child support until my two sisters and I all reached 18 (or until completion of secondary school).

I am nearing my 19th birthday and we have not seen a penny from my mother in child support, and have not received any form of support (financial, anything) from her. I haven't even seen her in five years. My youngest sister is still 14, so my father should still be receiving child support from her. My two sisters, despite receiving no support from her, do not want to go through with any legal action. I do not know if my father will, but I do not think he will want to.
I don't even know what there is to gain from this situation, as my mother still to this day continues to steal money from my father so I know she has none and her only source of income likely comes from stealing and borrowing money from others.

I am going to this forum because I do not know what to do. We grew up very poor with my single father working three jobs to raise us three kids. My useless mother has gotten away without paying $50k in child support over these last ten years, and it is only going to increase as my younger sister by law should still be on child support until June of 2022. Is there any legal action I can take up on my own? Is there any legal action that will do any good if I am able to convince my dad to take the case? Is there any just resolution to this entire hell with my broke mother? Is there a limitation due to my age (also should be mentioned that my older sister is now 20, 21 in November) that I should be aware of?

Please help me.
What do you think you have the legal right to do?
 

CTU

Meddlesome Priestess
I'm curious as to how OP thinks Mom is going to pay ... she's clearly broke, and she's clearly made life choices that are in direct opposition to becoming a successful, contributing member of society.

In other words, just how much blood do you think you're going to get from this very withered looking turnip?
 

Just Blue

Senior Member
I'm curious as to how OP thinks Mom is going to pay ... she's clearly broke, and she's clearly made life choices that are in direct opposition to becoming a successful, contributing member of society.

In other words, just how much blood do you think you're going to get from this very withered looking turnip?
like^ extra!

To be clear...OP has no chance to get a dime from his/her mother.
 

Taxing Matters

Overtaxed Member
Hello, I'm coming from the state of Minnesota.
I don't even know what there is to gain from this situation, as my mother still to this day continues to steal money from my father so I know she has none and her only source of income likely comes from stealing and borrowing money from others.
You might want to explain this more. How is it that a woman who evidently has been divorced from your father for perhaps ten years now and whom you have not seen in five years is still able to steal money from your father? At the very least he ought to have put an end to that long ago. If it is truly theft, he may want to consider reporting it to the police so she can be prosecuted for it. But one way or the other, he can at least stop this loss from occurring.

Is there any legal action I can take up on my own?
No, there is not. The court ordered her to pay the support to your father. They were the parties to the case; you were not. Because it is to your father that she owes the support money, it is your father that would have to seek enforcement of that order from the courts.

Is there any legal action that will do any good if I am able to convince my dad to take the case?
There are several things he can do to try to collect. He can ask the child support enforcement agency to attach her tax refunds and attach any wages she may earning. He may be able to get the appropriate levy or writ of attachment (or whatever your state calls it) to take her bank accounts or other assets that he may be able to find. And he may try filing for an order to show cause or contempt to force her to cought up what is owed. But if she truly is broke and has nothing to attach and nothing to pay then nothing he does will do any good. She can’t pay what she doesn’t have, and he cannot attach income or assets that do not exist. So the starting point here is to first identify something she has that he can go after.

Of course, if your father is not interested in going after her anyway then there is nothing to be done. You cannot do it in his place. It is up to him to act...or not.
 

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