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Mississippi Family Law Questions & Answers
1 Answer | Asked in Criminal Law and Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: Is it legal for a conservator "borrow" money from their conservatee's bank account, and put it back later?

Conservator took money out of her ward's bank account without telling her. When ward checked bank balance, she noticed money missing. conservator stated that she needed to borrow it and told her ward, "Don't worry, I will replace it".

Arthur Calderon
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Arthur Calderon
answered on Dec 3, 2021

A conservator is supposed to act in the best interest of the ward, which means that a bank account that belongs to the ward should not be used as a source of funds for the conservator, even if the conservator is using it as a loan.

1 Answer | Asked in Child Support and Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: Does my child support end if my 19 yr old son joins the military? He is joining air national guard with Air Force in MS.

My son will be 19 yrs old in January and is currently in college; however, he may not be next semester due to him joining the military. Does joining the military automatically emancipate him and child support stops or will I need to file a modification to end the child support and show proof of him... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Nov 19, 2021

Yes, joining the military on a full time basis is an emancipating event in Mississippi.

1 Answer | Asked in Child Support and Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: Can my kids’ mother file a child support order in Mississippi if she nor the kids have ever lived here

Child support petition

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Nov 15, 2021

If you live in Mississippi and have a support order from another state, the originating state will send the order to Mississippi for collection efforts.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: I'm seeking a divorce from my wife while moving to my mother's house in a different state. Does this affect the filing?

My wife and I have been married for three months, but co-habitating and living as a monogamous couple for a decade. I am fully financially dependent on my wife. She came home about a week and a half ago, said this isn't working, and left me by myself with our pets. My mother had to come get... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Nov 4, 2021

You would need to contact an Alabama attorney. You would not be able to file in Mississippi, unless she also moves out of Alabama.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: Cps is holding custody of my son but the cps in my county has already decided not to remove my child

I had my son in a county I didn't live in when hospital called they lied filed false report dhs from my county started investigation and called hospital to tell them everything was fine baby is to be released to me. They did not like that answer after a bunch more hell they called the county... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Oct 25, 2021

You need to hire an attorney immediately in order to make sure your rights as a parent are preserved. You do not say why your son was in the hospital or the reason that the hospital called CPS, so I cannot speak to that. CPS will eventually put you on a parenting plan that you should follow. That... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Divorce, Family Law and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: If my ex husband is not following the divorce papers and paying his half of my childrens extra expenses what do I do?

My divorce papers state that my ex husband is supposed to have insurance on my children and pay extra expenses for any extra curricular activities or expenses. My daughter has had braces twice and I’ve paid out of pocket neither him nor his insurance has paid anything and my son is taking college... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Oct 21, 2021

You should retain an attorney and file a petition asking that your ex be found in contempt and requesting any amounts owed to you, including attorney’s fees, filing fees, and service fees.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: If my son's mother signed documents to take me off of child support can she file for child support again? ( Mississippi)

In 2017 my son's mother signed documents to take me off of child support. However they never stopped taking CS out of my check. Now the state of MS is coming after me for more money.

Do I have any legal recourse here? I'm being told that even though she signed those documents... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Oct 14, 2021

Yes. She can refile for child support at any time prior to the child emancipating.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Child Custody, Civil Rights and Juvenile Law for Mississippi on
Q: Can Ms cps stop parents from getting medical updates from hospital on baby? I have been cooperating and very involved

My baby is in NICU. MSCps took custody this week. I have called hospital every single day since she was born to check on her. They have restricted the hospital on giving me, her mother, any info. I have done andor currently everything they have asked. They said bc they havent heard my voice in... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Oct 10, 2021

Yes, you have the right, as her mother, to receive medical information of your child, unless you were using that information in an inappropriate manner. If CPS continues to interfere with this right, you may have to contact the social worker’s supervision or go to court and ask that any such... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Child Custody for Mississippi on
Q: Can a person who voluntarily terminated their parental rights be allowed to visit and/or interact with the children?

What are the rights of the other parent in these instances?

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Sep 24, 2021

Whether or not the terminated person is allowed to visit with the child is totally up to the discretion of the parents. The terminated person has no legal standing to demand contact with the child.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Civil Litigation for Mississippi on
Q: My son has someone else’s car parked on my property and I want it removed. Am I within my right to have it towed?
Hiten H. Patel
PREMIUM
Hiten H. Patel
answered on Sep 23, 2021

Yes. If you did not give permission to the owner to allow them to park the vehicle on property that you own.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: Can I change the name the child support case is in from my mother to me as I'm now over 18 and not living with her?

My mother has been getting child support for me for years. My father still has quite a bit of back pay remaining. I no longer live with my mother, am over 18. She still has the card that the child support money is deposited on and is using it for her own needs. Even when I was living with her she... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Sep 17, 2021

I cannot tell you that it is impossible to do what you are asking; however, I can tell you that I have not seen it happen in the 20+ years that I have been practicing. MDHS is going to assume that your mother used her funds to support you during your minority; therefore, the arrearage amount is... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Tax Law and Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: If I have paid back taxes on my parents property, as well as kept them paid . Am I entitled to it ?

I am executer over estate. Original plan was for me to buy out my siblings. We cannot agree on a price bc they want 20k more than appraisal. This has been going on for 3 yrs now. I have paid ALL expenses, including 5 yrs now of taxes. The 2 yrs behind my mother owed and the3 since her passing.

Randall R. Saxton
Randall R. Saxton
answered on Sep 15, 2021

No, merely paying the property taxes does not entitle anyone to the property.

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Child Custody and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: My husband’s kids mother is willing to sign her rights over to him does that still require a lawyer to do so?
William R. Wright
William R. Wright
answered on Aug 16, 2021

A lawyer is not required to be retained for a parent to terminate her parental rights. Likewise, your husband could perform his own vasectomy without a doctor if he chose to do so. But he wouldn't do that, of course. Believe it or not, a parental termination case is just as serious as a... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law, Child Custody and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: My best friend is being raped by her husband and needs to leave state with her two kids. She lives in Mississippi.

I need to figure out how to get them legally out of state. They are coming to Michigan and I want to make sure that we do this right.

William R. Wright
William R. Wright
answered on Aug 5, 2021

This is a terrible situation. I am assuming the two children are also your friend's husband's children. There is no law prohibiting her travel out of state with her children. If Michigan is where she has friends or family, that is the logical destination for her on a temporary basis. If... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: I’m court ordered through DHS to get $160 but I barely get it. If I closed the case & used a lawyer could I get more?

He has like 5 other child support cases but his oldest two kids are grown. My child is 10. He feels like as long as I have him on child support through dhs he doesn’t have to do anything else so he wants me to close my case so that the arrearage won’t add up. He keeps changing jobs and... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Jul 24, 2021

First, if you drop the case with DHS, the arrearage will continue to accrue. Second, generally, child support is based on a net income figure for the paying parent and any previously court-ordered child support, not the number of children he has. If his older children have emancipated, they cannot... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: Is alimony and child support awarded by the court in Mississippi a public record?

I have a step daughter whom was married and divorced over three years ago to a prominent doctor. They had three children all minors born from the marriage. I continue to support her as she said she receives zero alimony or child support from the ex husband. I have gone by her word in this matter.... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Jul 20, 2021

The court records are open to the public. Go to the chancery court in the county where the divorce was entered. Give they clerk her name and her ex’s name and ask to see the file. The final Order will be there.

2 Answers | Asked in Adoption, Child Custody and Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: My husband had a child with someone else but the child was taken by CPS because she failed a drug test after childbirth.

CPS ended up giving him custody and she signed her parental rights over to him. A year later he asked me to watch him while he went to rehab. He ended up leaving it early but he let me continue to watch him. Almost a year after he came back the birth mom was incarcerated and he committed suicide... View More

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Jul 1, 2021

If her parental rights were terminated, then she cannot come back and reclaim custody. The best thing you can do is to hire an attorney and petition the court for custody yourself. You do not say whether or not there are other family members available for the child. This, of course, may complicate... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: My husband and I remarried in 2020. He is a disabled vet and doesn’t pay taxes. I filed a joint tax return at the end.

They took the taxes even though he doesn’t pay taxes to pay back child support on our case. The case was closed in March after they took our taxes. However, we still can’t get out taxes released

William R. Wright
William R. Wright
answered on Jul 17, 2021

I really don't have enough facts to be confident about my answer. However, I am assuming you meant that the IRS took your refund. If either joint filer has a back child support issue, any refunds can be confiscated by the IRS. I don' t believe that the IRS will release the confiscated... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Family Law and Child Support for Mississippi on
Q: What does it mean if you get a letter from DHS saying This is an arrears only case. There is no obligation to review

I was paying back child support and I just got a letter from DHS saying: This is an arrears only case. There is no obligation to review. What does this mean

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Apr 5, 2021

The letter means that DHS is attempting to collect a debt of past due child support only, not current support. Also, the agency is not reviewing the file in an effort to increase the monthly support amount.

1 Answer | Asked in Adoption, Child Custody and Family Law for Mississippi on
Q: Can a sperm donor who helped a same-sex couple have a baby pursue rights to the child if he signed papers with a notory?

The biological mother and her partner are both on the birth certificate and in the agreement signed by the sperm donor and the mother states that he would not pursue any rights and that the biological mother has the right to appoint whoever she wanted as the other parent of the child.

Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
Melissa L Gardner-Ardoin
answered on Apr 5, 2021

The first consideration for Chancery Court is the best interest of the child. The contract between the donor and the birth mother is only one piece of evidence to be considered. The donor may be able to contest the arrangement and seek visitation with the child. However, it will not be an easy... View More

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