Q: Child Support. I’ve had trouble holding a job due to depression, anxiety and panic disorder. Med records coroberate.
Ive been unemployed for a year or so, and yet I have still payed the majority of the time. I’ve done this by selling pretty much everything of value that I owned, including my car.
I’m now behind and ex wife is taking me to court again. Claiming willful refusal to pay. The last time this happened, my ex agreed to drop the case if I could find a way to catch up before the court date. I did this by borrowing the money, and she dropped the case.
I asked her if she would be willing to work with me like last time.
I proposed a solution to keep us out of court, contingent upon my catching up. ($2,500) AND gaining employment taking anything I can get, even minimum wage. She is not willing to cooperate and seems to want to take me to court anyway. I will borrow money again to meet my obligation. I’m offering her everything she is taking me to court over. If I am able to catch up, can I request the case be dropped, w/o her consent? If conditions are met, could I still go to jail?
A: You situation is difficult and complex, you should ask the Judge to appoint an attorney for you ( you are entitled to a lawyer if they are seeking jail time for criminal contempt.).Perhaps more importantly, have you applied for or sought disability benefits as the result of your problems? if you qualify for those benefits, your child support obligation might be reduces and your children might also qualify for benefits. You might be able to find a lawyer to handle your disability case on a contingency ( percentage) basis. Do NOT borrow money - that only makes the situation worse- it looks like you can afford to pay when in reality, you cannot.
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