For parents attempting to raise children on their own, regular child support payments are of vital importance. From purchasing food and clothing to paying for school-related activities and extracurricular interests, these payments can help ensure a better quality of life for both the children and the parent raising them.
Unfortunately, many parents are derelict in their duty to pay child support – sometimes amassing tens of thousands of dollars in back payments – and it can prove difficult to track down.
Over the course of time, however, agencies are often able to locate these delinquent parents and secure much-needed (and much-deserved) back child support payments.
This was recently the case in Arizona, where agents with Department of Economic Security (DES) were able to track down $93,639 for one unsuspecting mother of three.
According to reports, Kathi P. was left to care for three small children when her former husband left her over 30 years ago. (She was pregnant with the couple’s third child at the time).
Receiving no child support payments, she was forced to raise her three daughters on an extremely limited income and carefully manage the family finances in order to provide a them with a pleasant childhood (i.e., school trips, prom dresses, etc.).
Interestingly, Kathi P., now 59, was called to the office of the Arizona DES just last week and presented with a surprise check for $93,639 in back child support by DES director Clarence Carter.
Carter informed Kathi P. that staff members had located an out-of-state bank account in her ex-husband’s name that contained over $200,000 and that they had acted quickly to place on levy on the account, eventually forcing the bank to hand over the $93,639 ($27,000 in back child support and nearly $67,000 in interest).
“I know you had an awful lot of difficult days rearing your children,” said Carter. “This certainly can’t replace any of the challenge of that, but you can do something nice for yourself.”
A grateful – and tearful – Kathi P. indicated that she planned to share the money with her adult daughters.
“They went without because it wasn’t there then, so why not? Now they can do something they want to do,” she said.
To learn more about nonpayment of child support or other post-divorce issues, contact an experienced and skilled legal professional.
Stay tuned for more from our Ft. Worth family law blog …
This post is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice. Names have been withheld to protect the identity of the parties.
Related Resources:
Struggling mom gets $93k in back child support (KPHO 5 – Phoenix)
