For many years, parents who have been forced to pay delinquent child support debts or face jail time have thrown their arms out in court and told the judge overseeing the case that they simply did not have the funds to do so. Despite the fact that this has been true in many cases, many people have been sent to jail or have faced other sanctions when these situations arose. Clearly, this penalty did not resolve the issue since people do not earn income while in a jail cell.
In recent times, different jurisdictions around the country have come out with creative programs designed to help parents who were behind on child support payments get themselves caught up in a positive and proactive manner. However, the Supreme Court in Michigan took another step recently with a ruling regarding parents who are behind on child support payments that is believed to be one of the first of its kind.
Specifically, the Michigan Supreme Court recently ruled that parents could provide a defense in court for failing to pay child support if they can prove that they have exhausted all of their assets, including anything that they could sell to help make the payments. While this decision is being hailed by those who feel that putting someone who has no money in jail is not the proper reaction to this problem, others have said that the court did not go far enough with its decision.
San Diego Child Support Lawyers
While the laws in Michigan and California differ with regards to more issues than child support, the fact of the matter remains that people who are either experiencing problems with making child support payments or those who are about to experience these problems need to take action as opposed to allowing the court system to chase them down. The best way to do so is to obtain the help of experienced professionals.
If you are a father facing any type of issue in this regard, you need to seek the help of San Diego child support lawyers who have been fighting for the rights of fathers for many years. Contact the Men’s Legal Center today to schedule an initial consultation.