Q: My daughter is 17. She has been living full time with us since Oct. I am filing for support.
My ex and I never went through the courts. We did 50/50. A few other times, she lived with my husband and I full time through her sophomore and jr. years of high school. We never asked for money during that time. My ex and I agreed that it would help her live with one person full time to help with organization. She asked to live with us both times (soph & jr year). She has had issues with her dad and stepmom and moved out of her dads house and into our house in October. We are asking for support at this point b/c we are taking all of the burden with no extra help from him while she is living with us. Since we never had a custody agreement, do I need to get that in place as well? Or does my daughter need to come with us to the support hearing to confirm she lives with us full time now? I talked to an attorney in the Pgh area and he seemed to say that since she is 17, turning 18 in June 2019, that it would be a waste of money to go through the custody process. Please advise.
A: You've already spoken with a local attorney and obtained what sounds like decent advice. You don't have to have a custody order in order to obtain support. You can demonstrate that she lives with you through school and medical records and other paperwork which would tend to prove that she lives with you. I don't think it's a wise idea as a parent to bring your daughter to court, and the court may not want to hear from her, but that's ultimately your decision as her parent.
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