
Paying court-ordered child support is a very serious matter in Texas. If a court has ordered the other parent to pay child support to you and the other parent is not paying, then the law provides you and your attorney with powerful tools for receiving the support to which you are entitled. One option for receiving payment is to request the court enforce its child support order and hold the non-paying parent in contempt. The court — if it is satisfied that the non-paying parent has violated his or her obligation to pay and had the ability to pay — can give you a judgment for the amount of back child support and interest. The non-paying parent can also be jailed for up to 6 months and fined up to $500.00 for each period he or she did not pay child support as ordered. Moreover, you can recover your attorney’s fees and expenses if you are successful in prosecuting your suit to enforce the court’s child support order.
Many people go through the Texas Attorney General’s Office to prosecute their suits to enforce a court’s child support order. Although the Texas Attorney General’s Office is motivated to help you collect child support, there are a number of drawbacks to using the Texas Attorney General’s Office rather than hiring a private attorney. First, the attorney assigned to your case by the Texas Attorney General’s Office does not represent you; the assigned attorney represents the State of Texas. The assigned attorney is not accountable to you, not accessible to you, and is not required to communicate with you. Your communications with the assigned attorney, assuming he or she will discuss legal issues with you, are not protected by attorney-client privilege and might be used against you later. Another problem with using the Texas Attorney General’s Office to pursue collection of child support is that the office typically takes a very long time to file and prosecute your case — meanwhile the non-paying parent will continue to evade his or her responsibility leaving you without financial help. The delay in bringing your case before the court is simply due to the massive volume of work the Texas Attorney General’s Office must process every day.
The north Dallas Law Office of Pete Rowe is interested in getting you the help you deserve and collecting the financial support you are owed. There are other mechanisms available, in addition to enforcement by contempt, to help ensure the non-paying parent fulfills his or her obligation. For example, a delinquent parent’s driver’s license and any professional licenses (law license, medical license, accounting license, etc.) may be suspended if the delinquent parent is seriously behind on child support. You may also have the option of placing a lien on the delinquent parent’s non-exempt assets including retirement and bank accounts.
The Law Office of Pete Rowe recommends that you hire a private attorney who is loyal to you and will serve and protect your interests. You and your children deserve someone who will aggressively pursue a non-paying parent so that you get the financial support you need and deserve as quickly as possible. Contact the firm today so Pete can start helping you.