Q: My ex just petitioned for child support and our child is 21. I was never served child support papers. What do I do?
A:
You are writing from Ohio. If the case has a hearing date and place in Ohio, you need help in Ohio, not California.
First you should have been served with papers. If not, call the office where the child support papers originated and get a copy. You should also have been served with blank forms for you to fill out. Use those forms and follow the instructions. If there are no blank forms, again call up the office where the papers came from and ask for the blank forms that you fill out and send back. File your papers even if they are late. Keep a copy and have someone else, other than you, mail a copy to the other side. that person also needs to fill out a
"Proof of Service" form. Be sure to show up for the hearing. If you are in Ohio and the case is in California, some California court allow you to show up by phone. There is a private company called "Court Call" which you pay and they call the courtroom directly, so you can speak from your phone into the courtroom. This saves a trip to California. They have a fee. Google them and call them and ask if your courtroom uses Court Call.
If you ignore the matter you will lose.
Even if you missed the court date, in some cases there is still something you can do. You need a consultation.
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.
