The title says it all
Aug 14th, 2009 by admin
“Childless man released from child support debt”
I can’t take credit for finding this story, but I will take credit for appreciating it!
As states have gotten tougher and tougher on enforcing child support obligations, Georgia has apparently taken the approach of jailing non-payors.
(By the way, in Washington, Child Support Orders include language that “The Obligor Parent’s Privileges to Obtain or Maintain a License, Certificate, Registration, Permit, Approval, or Other Similar Document Issued by a Licensing Entity Evidencing Admission to or Granting Authority to Engage in a Profession, Occupation, Business, Industry, Recreational Pursuit, or the Operation of a Motor Vehicle may Be Denied or may Be Suspended if the Obligor Parent is not in Compliance With This Support Order as Provided in Chapter 74.20A Revised Code of Washington.” So, in Washington you will be subject to the random capitalization of words, and if you don’t pay you won’t be able to fish or run a business, but you’re not going to jail. But, I digress.)
The story is about a man who was presumed to be the father of a child, and obligated to support that child. After 13 months in jail, a judge signed an order releasing Mr. Hatley because DNA tests proved that the child was not Mr. Hatley’s son. The backstory is that Hatley paid child support for 13 years before finding out that the child was not his! He went to court to be relieved of the obligation of paying future support, however the State wanted him to still pay back support for this child that wasn’t his because he had signed a consent agreement to pay Child Support Services.
The good news is that a judge also ruled that Mr. Hatley is no longer responsible for paying any amount of child support. Hopefully he gets back some of the payments he made after he realized the child wasn’t his and before this ruling. He’ll never get the time he spent in jail back.