On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Paternity/Child Support on Thursday, July 10, 2014.
Residents of Missouri, like other Americans across the country, know that divorce, custody and child support battles can be difficult and agonizingly stressful situations for people to find themselves in. On top of all that stress, it turns out that it can only take a simple clerical error to make the situation all the more traumatizing.
Recently, a man was ordered to serve a six-month jail sentence based on his failure to pay child support. He claimed in his defense that his failure to pay his support payments in full was a case of clerical error on the part of another employee in his company’s payroll department.
His claim did not appear to be persuasive enough however, and he finally had to report to jail to begin serving his sentence — until his employer confirmed his account a week later. The man was released from jail early and is again able to see his child.
Thankfully this case is now closed, and this hard working man can return to spending time with his son and living his normal life. Although justice ultimately prevailed in this case, for many Missourians errors like this and general battles over child custody or child support can go on for years, all the while damaging important family relationships.
The bottom line is that every parent has rights under the law when it comes to child support or custody cases, but defending those rights on your own can leave you at a disadvantage. If you are worried about an impending child support battle, then you may want to speak with an attorney who can to provide helpful advice concerning your case.
Source: Houston Chronicle, “Man jailed for failure to pay child support released,” Samantha Ehlinger, July 3, 2014
