Have you heard of the Deadbeat Dad Law? In 1992, the Child Support Recovery Act made it legal for state courts to collect child support payments from the parents who failed to pay their dues for an extended amount of time. The Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1998 was a furtherance on this law, allowing the court to impose felony charges on parents who failed to pay the child support that they owed.
The penalties are reserved for parents that purposefully avoid jurisdiction or those that blatantly disregard authority and warnings. Those that are considered deadbeats can also be listed on a sort of "Deadbeat Dad List" that targets that person as delinquent on the child support payments.
The Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act of 1998 only imposes felony penalties on parents that live in a different state from their child. In each case, there is a mandatory investigation where the investigators are required to determine whether or not a parent used multiple employment locations to avoid reporting some income. Parents are automatically put in the "Deadbeat Dad List" if they reach misdemeanor amounts owed and are suspect of trying to avoid law enforcement and cheat wage garnishment.
These laws were put in place after many parents suffered financial loss when a paying spouse would terminate child support out of his or her own will, leaving the custodial parent in financial ruin. The list ensures that parents that are purposefully avoiding paying child support are prosecuted as necessary. The act requested proof that the parent was able to pay child support and willingly chose not to.
Parents that have suffered severe financial loss and could not pay the support due to debts or other costs will not be prosecuted in this way. Individuals need to owe more than $5,000 in debt to be charged with a misdemeanor and must owe more than $10,000 in debt to be charged with a felony. If you are dealing with a child support payments and either have a delinquent spouse or are unable to pay your expenses and don't know what to do, hire a Los Angeles family attorney to represent you in your case!
