Q: Do non custodial parents of an adopted child have to pay for college in Alabama?
We adopted our son when he was 6 through DHR. Long story short, we had an extremely out of control child. He was with us for 10 years. We went through years of him stealing, writing kill lists, bringing weapons into our home, etc. Finally, after years of trying to help him we made the decision to have him removed out of our home. We did find out that the DHR had failed to give us information about him that had we known we would have sought help for him in the beginning. Bottom line, despite our evidence, we were ordered to pay 896 a month until he is 19 or he graduates. We are in our 50's and I want to be sure that we do not have to pay for college if he attends. We do have a court appointed attorney, but he never returns phone calls. I don't want a Clanton attorney to answer me. This is the most corrupt town in Alabama. We have honored our child support and have 10 months to go. We just want to be able to move on with our lives. Thanks.
A: Hello. Unless you signed a contract agreeing to pay for "post-minority" support, then no, you do NOT pay those costs. You can call the domestic relations clerk in the county where the case is and ask their procedure on how to stop child support at 19. It should be a form and roughly $20-$30. Each county is different and may require different documentation (e.g. birth certificate to prove his age) so that's why the call is necessary. Best of luck!
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
