When one parent assumes custody of a child, the other parent is typically required to make some level of support payments. In many instances across Illinois, men are often the ones responsible for paying child support. However, there are a number of cases in which the father is responsible for the children and women must make payments. One family illustrates how men also fight a battle to secure the compensation they deserve.
The former chairman of the Kane County Family Law Committee noted that men have a harder time getting their children’s mothers to make child support payments. Experts say the number of delinquent mothers has risen over the past two decades. One Illinois man started contacting law enforcement in Sandwich in mid-May when the mother of his children failed to make payments. Weeks later, the woman finally was arrested.
That same man’s father also fought a notable child support battle 20 years ago. The father had been pursuing his ex-wife for support payments totaling more than $11,000. She was able to elude law enforcement across two states before becoming the first woman to be arrested in Kane County on charges of failing to make child support payments.
While experts note that the courts deal with delinquent mothers and fathers equally, there is still a societal bias regarding mean who do not pay child support. Any parent who is not receiving the support they need to pay for everyday expenses regarding a child should contact an attorney as soon as possible. A lawyer can help fight for the compensation necessary and bring the delinquent parent to justice.
Source: Beacon News, “Case study: Plano dad’s child support payment problems a family affair,” Denise Crosby, June 14, 2014
