Imagine working hard at your job in Morris County, New Jersey in order to pay your child support payments every month only to find out that you are being sued by your ex-spouse for unpaid child support. This sounds like an impossibility, but for one man, this is exactly what happened.
The man’s child support was supposed to be taken out of his paycheck each week, so likely the man thought that it was being taken care of and he didn’t have to worry about it. Unfortunately, an apparent administrative error caused the wrong amount to be taken out each week. This left the man owing $3,000 in child support.
Although he says he immediately repaid the amount due in full, he was still required to appear in court. The judge ordered the man to pay his ex-wife’s lawyer’s fees, an amount that added up to another $3,000. In an unexpected move, she also sentenced the man to 180 days behind bars for failing to abide by the court-ordered schedule for picking up his children. The man and his lawyer both claim they knew nothing about this schedule.
The man feels like the ruling is an injustice, and wondered how it was in the best interest of his children that he be in jail. He pointed out that he would not be able to make child support payments while he is incarcerated. He plans on appealing the decision, and hopefully with the help of his lawyer he will be successful at getting the sentence turned around.
Source: Gawker, “Dad Sentenced to 6 Months Over Child Support Payments He Already Made,” Taylor Berman, Jan. 13, 2014
