Some people in Tennessee will go to great lengths to avoid paying child support. Sometimes they move to a new city, hoping their former spouse won’t bother pursuing them. Other times, they go as far as to move to an entirely new state. Many people mistakenly believe that the law won’t follow them and hold them accountable for their child support payments. But in fact, they can easily be tracked down and confronted about the child support, as well as any late fees they’ve accrued.
How can you enforce child support when your former spouse is out of state?
In some cases, the state might still have jurisdiction over your former spouse after your divorce. If that’s the case, you can simply take the matter to court and have the judge enforce the child support laws. However, if the state you’re living in doesn’t have jurisdiction, the situation becomes a little more complicated. The court will have to forward their child support order to the new state, which will then enforce the child support laws.
If you find out where your former spouse is working, you can also notify their employer and have them garnish their wages to pay for the child support. You can also visit a court in your former spouse’s new state to have them resolve the issue. However, this could be difficult if your former spouse has moved all the way across the country.
What about extreme situations where your spouse has fallen off the face of the earth? If they’ve seemingly disappeared, you could hire an attorney to help you track down your spouse. Once they’ve been located, the court could order them to pay child support.
When should you hire an attorney?
An attorney could help you with a wide range of issues related to child support. If your former spouse isn’t paying their court-ordered dues, an attorney could help you hold them accountable. An attorney could also help you request more child support if your child has unexpected expenses or your former spouse’s income suddenly skyrockets. Plus, they could help you track down your spouse if they flee the state or country.
